


Life is Warm Bodies

by Nothing_You_Can_Prove



Series: Life is Warm Bodies [1]
Category: Life Is Strange (Video Game), Warm Bodies - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Zombie Apocalypse, F/F, Friendship, Mental preparation for LIS episode 5 release, Romance, Warm Bodies AU, minor amberprice, pricefield
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-01
Updated: 2015-10-06
Packaged: 2018-04-24 07:11:46
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 12
Words: 31,771
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4910071
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nothing_You_Can_Prove/pseuds/Nothing_You_Can_Prove
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>I am dead. I know, this is a really strange way to introduce myself, but it is the unfortunate truth. I'm trying hard to figure out how all this happened. There is no point dwelling on it. You can't change the past.<br/>I have been wandering for what feels like an eternity with no purpose. Then one day, I see her. My death has never been quite the same after.<br/>Life is Strange/Warm Bodies Crossover (LIS characters in WB universe) - Major edit 14/06/16</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Death Isn't a Walk in The Park

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> M has been a zombie for a while and is desperately trying to remember what happened to cause her death. All she has to go on are a few disjointed memories and a photo of a mysterious blue haired girl. Who is this girl to M?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, welcome to my Warm Bodies/Life is Strange crossover. This takes place after the tornado has hit Arcadia Bay. I got this idea while thinking of potentially sad endings for Life is Strange. Hey, if everyone dies they can come back as ass kicking zombies, fall in love then come back to life, right? Text in italics is either a memory or song lyrics. 
> 
> As far as relative Warm Bodies roles are concerned: Max (M) is R, Chloe is Julie, Rachel is Perry, Kate (K) is M, Victoria is Nora and David is General Grigio. Other characters will make an appearance. This is a Pricefield/minor Amberprice story. 
> 
> This is my first fanfiction I've published so hopefully you will all enjoy reading it as much I did writing it. Rated M for language (what do you expect, Chloe is in it) and probably some mild gore (it is a zombie apocalypse after all). That's enough from me, enjoy. :)

**Chapter One: Death Isn’t a Walk in The Park**

I am dead.

I know this is a really strange way to introduce myself, however it is the unfortunate truth. If you think _you’re_ surprised about all this, imagine what it was like for me one day opening my now pewter gray eyes to find myself like this… an animated corpse, or as the Living like to refer to us, ‘zombies’, however this word carries grave political implications in the Undead community so we try to avoid it. Oh yes, I know what you’re thinking. How can these brainless stiffs have any kind of coherent structure to their society? Just remember we were Living once, just like anyone else and though we struggle to communicate now it doesn’t mean we’re stupid by any means.

Being dead is no walk in the park, but I’m slowly getting used to it… and I mean slowly. Have you seen how slow zombies walk? Given my frame I can deduce I wasn’t at the peak of physical fitness, but even taking that into account I’m sure in life I moved way faster than this… anyone could. I just have to grin and bear it. What else am I supposed to do? Scream and cry about how unfair this all is? I no longer have the bodily fluids necessary to cry and I have no words to articulate my distress. I don’t think words were my strong point in life, so I have no hope now. It’s not like anyone here would really care about my whining anyway. We are all in the same boat after all.

I’m trying to figure all this out, how everything happened. It’s all a blur. Sometimes if I focus hard enough, I can see…

 _People screaming… gale force winds… a flash of blue_.

That’s it, all I remember. For a while I tried, I stood motionless for what seemed like eternity, trying to rack my brain… along with the brains of several others to catch even a glimpse of the world we all left behind. I have long since given up trying. There is no point in dwelling on it, it doesn’t help me now… you can’t change the past.

I can’t remember my name, but I think it began with an M… yet another ghost of a memory. I spent the entirety of my life forgetting other people’s names, so the irony of my situation is almost laughable. Maybe it’s Karma? My best friend, K, finds it hilarious. I found her pretty early on in my travels and we’ve stuck together like glue ever since. I have to wonder if I knew her in life from somewhere as she seems vaguely familiar to me, particularly the gold cross dangling from her scar covered neck.

I think death has treated me kinder than most. Given, none of us are going to win any beauty contests, but at least I still vaguely resemble a human. Others… are not so lucky. I think it has something to do with your mentality. Those who resign themselves to their fate quickly lose any sense of humanity they once possessed, both in appearance and behavior. I vowed from the very beginning to never let myself deteriorate, that I would fight until the bitter end to regain some essence of who I used to be. Judging by my appearance I would guess I was a photography student, at least that’s what the slightly torn gray hoodie and battered camera would suggest. As I wander this new world I often find myself speculating the ex-roles of my fellow corpses in Living society. You were a janitor, you were a cheerleader and now… now you’re a corpse.

The only other possession I have is a slightly crumpled photograph I found in my hoodie pocket. It shows who I assume to be me with another…

_Wild eyes, a sly grin, blue hair, “Come on slow poke”._

For some reason unbeknownst to me I am attached to it. It’s stupid to be so fond of this after everything that has happened, but I can’t help it. I’m such a sentimental sap. I wonder where this girl is now. Is she like me, a rotting corpse full of nothing but a voracious hunger? Or has she managed to escape this cruel fate? To be honest, I’m not sure which fate is crueler, becoming a corpse or having to survive them. Both are pretty dismal.

Even if she has escaped she would probably shoot me on sight. That is what the Living are conditioned to do… not that I blame them, we do look pretty terrifying. There is a reason we never look in mirrors. To them we are no longer human, just mindless killing machines… the irony being that the Living can be the most brutal and merciless killers of all. While I can’t deny that I have done things I regret, I had little choice. My mind is trapped in this slowly decaying cage of flesh with no escape. The moment I open my mouth to release the words I so desperately want to utter, all that come out are a torrent of incoherent groans. On occasion, we do manage to communicate with words such as ‘hungry’ and ‘city’, but even these scraps are formed due to the imperative commands of our hunger. We are united in this aspect, the insatiable lust for human flesh. Part of me finds this habit of ours disgusting, however all morals fly out of the window when I actually partake. I wonder if the others are as conflicted as I am. Am I just sensitive?

A few of us gather together ready for the hunt. We wander aimlessly down the dilapidated streets, searching for the slightest scent of life, the one thing we crave above all else. The food we used to eat no longer satisfies us, leaving us feeling emptier than before. We can no longer eat for pleasure… only out of necessity. For the first few days after my re-awakening, I didn’t understand what the feral beast inside me demanded. It clawed at my insides, threatening to consume me if I didn’t sate it. Everything I tried made me vomit the moment it reached my stomach, my body violently rejecting it. With no guidance on what I was supposed to be eating, I had all but given up hope. That was when I discovered the one thing that pacified the overwhelming hunger… human flesh. The taste of it is vile, but it is the only thing that we can devour.

After an excruciating amount of time, we locate the source of the smell. A run down building stands before us, overbearing and imposing. I stumble forward, leading the group of vacant faces inside and down the hallway. We follow the scent all the way to a door at the end. I peer cautiously through its small cracked window, seeing a small group of teenagers huddled together. They can’t be much older than I am… well was. Age doesn’t really mean anything in death. We have already expired, so there is no need to countdown the years anymore.

We stand there patiently behind the door, waiting for the right moment to strike as their muffled voices carry down the long, eerily quiet corridor, “Ok guys, remember that we are looking for supplies. This is not a field trip, so Warren, can you please stop playing Call of Duty and take this seriously. Grab anything you can, especially food and medicine. We get through so much.”

An exasperated sigh echoes down the hallway, “Fine, fine, be a damn dirty ape.”

A higher pitched, condescending voice pierces the air, “Who put you in charge anyway, Rachel? It’s obvious I possess the best leadership skills. I am a Chase after all.”

“Well sorry princess, but rules are rules. I don’t make them.”

“I am hardly a Princess, I am at least a Queen, if not a Goddess.”

A new slightly pissed off sounding voice enters the fray, “Oh please.”

“Peasants must ask for permission to speak in front of their Queen,” the condescending voice scoffs, “You should know that, Price.”

“What the…?”

The first voice jumps in, sounding equal parts amused and tired, cutting off the escalating argument, “Ladies, no fighting now. Save it for the zombies.”

I long to be able to open my mouth and talk to them about everything and anything… to go back to how things used to be. This thought is only fleeting however and soon the beast inside takes over.

 **“EAT, EAT, EAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!”** it screams inside my mind, pushing my legs forward. I obey without delay, bursting into the room with the rest of my companions. I hang back, seeing some of my fellow corpses get mown down in the crossfire as they bound over to the group. I go to lunge forward and join them, but my body freeze. Out of the corner of my eye, I see the flash of blue… the same one from the fragments of my shattered mind. It brings mixed feelings of familiarity, comfort and confusion.

One word, one uncertain word resounds off the walls of the room, “Max?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Have an awesome day guys and I’ll see you in the next chapter.


	2. Say My Name

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Max finally meets the girl from her photo, but this is not the same Max she is expecting to see. How will she react?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guys I am so excited. It’s October and we all know what that means…EPISODE 5…hopefully! I’m not sure if I’m ready for it. It’s a scary thought and I don’t want it to end :’(
> 
> Anyway, this chapter is a bit NSFW. I just don’t want anyone to get caught short reading it as their parents walk past :) I don’t want to be held responsible for that. It’s not majorly though, some stuff is implied

**Chapter Two: Say My Name**

My cold, lifeless grey eyes turn to locate the source of the voice. I am met by bright, alive mischievous blue eyes filled with confusion, “Max, where have you been? You’ve been gone for months.”

A tall girl stands there just staring at me with her mouth open in shock. She has a very punk rock vibe about her, especially from the clothing she wears. Her once white skull t-shirt is mostly covered by a worn black leather jacket, part of a colorful tattoo poking just beyond its right sleeve. Suspenders hang down from her patched up gray pants, gently swaying with every slight movement she makes. Her heavy black military style boots tap against the hard floor as she shuffles her feet, the sound resounding off the peeling walls. A worn navy blue beanie hat sits atop her head, a single faded blue strand at the front standing out from the rest of her strawberry blonde hair. My eyes are drawn to the thin black chain dangling from her neck, three bullets attached to it.

After what seems like an eternity of heavy silence, she shakes her head as a smile tugs at the corner of her lips, “I thought… I thought you had left me again. You promised you wouldn’t leave. I’m sorry, I should have believed you. I was just so afraid.”

She moves towards me, her footsteps echoing in the silence. A strange feeling surges through my body as she approaches me. The usual urge to rip and tear, to devour and consume is suddenly replaced with a desire to hold and never let go. What is wrong with me? I am so weird. Most zombies wouldn’t hesitate in taking what they desired. Is this why I can’t fit in with the others? Some things never change. I was awkward in life, but now in death it is even worse. I just want to connect with people. Why can’t I connect? I guess the fact that I’m a zombie really doesn’t help.

“Chloe!” a concerned voice tears through the silence.

The blue haired girl, Chloe, turns around behind her to face a girl with long blonde hair and hazel eyes. The other girl seems more apprehensive about my presence than Chloe and part of her is right to be wary.

“Look, Rachel,” Chloe points to me eagerly, “We found Max. After all this time, the months of searching, we finally found her. Isn’t this great?”

Rachel shakes her head sadly at Chloe, her expression morbid and voice gentle as she states, “Chloe… that’s not Max.”

Chloe crosses her arms across her chest defensively as she hisses, “Of fucking course it’s Max… unless she has an evil twin she didn’t tell me about,” she shoots a mischievous grin in my direction then pauses in brief thought, “Uh… you don’t have an evil twin, right?”

Rachel sighs and looks on helplessly at Chloe, desperate to try and get her to see that the max she once knew has long since gone, leaving only an empty shell filled with nothing but a desire to kill, “No Chloe, It’s not Max.”

Chloe’s brow furrows in mild annoyance at Rachel’s denial, her voice escalating in both volume and pace as she throws her hands in the air in frustration, “I know you didn’t see Max in person, but I showed you pictures. You should recognize her.”

Rachel glances over to me cautiously, her expression conflicted. I don’t move… I can’t. My feet are pinned to the floor by some invisible force making it impossible to even shuffle an inch.

“Isn’t she acting strange? She isn’t talking for one. Why isn’t she answering your questions, or reacting at all?” she insists.

Chloe dismissively waves away her concerns with her hand, however there is a hint of doubt in her voice, the once confident tone fading the longer she looks at me, “Max is just… really shy that’s all. She hasn’t met you before. Right, Max? You’re just being your shy geeky hipster self.”

Her eyes beg and plead with me to say something, completely in denial of the possibility that the Max she knew is gone. To be honest I don’t blame her. It is one thing having to accept your… uh… friend is dead. It’s another to find out that she has been turned into a zombie… a zombie you will have to kill.

Rachel takes a step towards Chloe, placing a hand on her arm to get her attention. When Chloe refuses to meet her eyes, she gently forces Chloe’s head upwards so she is looking directly into her hazel eyes, “It might have been Max at one point Chloe, but now… just look closer.”

Chloe looks as if she is about to protest, but then sighs dejectedly and pulls away from Rachel’s touch, her blue eyes focused on the ground as she lightly scuffs her boot along it, “Fine, if it will make you happy.”

She comes closer, but not too close, and begins to inspect me. As her eyes roam over my gaunt, pale, scar covered face something in them changes. The brief moment of joy at finding a friend now replaced with realization and then utter despair, “Max. Max? Come on, Max? Talk to me. Quit messing around,” her voice quivers as she speaks, “This is no time to practice your zombie impression… which is hella good by the way… please… talk to me…”

Oh, if only I could talk then all my troubles would disappear. I simply stand there unmoving, my lifeless gray eyes watching her as she tries to get some sort of reaction out of me. My dry scratchy throat won’t allow any sound other than an incoherent groan to leave my mouth. Chloe’s expression become more hopeless by the second as the cruel reality of the situation dawns upon her.

Rachel comes up behind her, grabbing onto her arm and gently tugging her back, “Chloe, step away from the corpse before it attacks you.”

Chloe doesn’t move an inch, her feet firmly planted on the floor as tears begin to fall from her expressive blue eyes. They run down her cheeks to her chin and drip to the floor. She shakes her head and stares at me in disbelief, unwilling to accept that any of this is real.

I wish I could help you, but I can’t. I am not the Max you knew and I never can be. This is what I want to tell her so desperately, to offer some words of condolence or reassurance… but even if I could talk to her, nothing I could say right now would make the pain in her eyes disappear.

“We need to put it down, now,” Rachel tentatively advises, her eyes darting from me to the door out of here.

With those words, Chloe finally snaps and whirls around to face Rachel, her face consumed with anger, “It? Max is my fucking friend and I am not killing her. Fuck that.”

Rachel’s expression softens at her harsh tone, “Chloe, we have to. I think it would be best if it was you who-”

The sentence hangs in the air unfinished as the other corpses suddenly regain their will to fight. In the confusion I stumble almost drunkenly towards Rachel, who aims her pistol at me and shoots. Unfortunately for her, she only clips my shoulder which is not enough to slow my advance. As she tries to reload I lunge at her, knocking her onto the hard floor. She grunts from the pain and struggles against me, but I inevitably overpower her. It is surprising the strength our hunger can inspire. Without hesitation, I slam her head to the floor with immense force, cracking her skull and instantly putting her out of her misery. I wince momentarily at the bone crushing crack that rings through the air on impact and waste little time prizing her head open to reveal the part we zombies savor above all else, the brain.

I don’t enjoy this at all, in fact I am disgusted with myself for doing this, but I have little choice. I don’t want to hurt you… I just want to feel what you feel, so I’m not just an empty husk anymore. I want to live and this is the only way I can... through your memories.

I take a bite and...

* * *

_I am Rachel Amber. An exemplary student, both popular among my peers and talented. My dream is to escape to LA and become a model, but until that day comes I attend Blackwell Academy, a prestigious school for aspiring artist and scientists alike._

_This morning I agreed to help Evan, a fellow classmate of mine, with his portfolio. I’ll be modelling for him, something I am more than happy to do. After this I shall be letting Daniel draw me. He is pretty good at it. As Evan guides me through the grounds, searching for the perfect spot to start I take the time to examine my surroundings. It really is beautiful this time of year when the birds sing sweetly as the trees dotted around campus sway in the gentle breeze._

_My eyes fall on the graffiti covered fountain sat in front of the main entrance into Blackwell, most of which pertain to unsavory rumors about myself. This is not the only place they are written. They think this will deter me and break my spirit, but if anything it spurs me on to get out of this shitpit and pursue my dreams._

_The sun feels warm on my neck and… my neck... it hurts… it-_

* * *

_I gaze out of the smudged photography class room window as Mark Jefferson drones on at the mostly uninterested students. He may be a world famous photographer, but he is sure as hell boring and tries way too hard to be ‘down with the kids’._

_He keeps looking over at me, which is getting a bit annoying actually. I just want to stare outside and watch the world go by, but I can’t if he keeps eyeing me. He seems a bit desperate for attention, just like everyone else in this hellhole. They want to be the special one, the main character of the story while everyone else is just a way of getting what they want. I don’t mean to sound self-righteous, I’m much the same, but at least I admit it. No-one can escape this egocentricity._

_Nevertheless, I fuel his ego by offering him a practiced charming smile. He looks pleased with himself and asks me a question, one I answer with ease. Victoria narrows her eyes at me with her usual icy glare. I know she’s been trying so hard to get his attention, but he doesn’t seem interested in her, unlike me. That is not to sound like a bitch, it’s just the truth. To be honest, I’m not really interested in Jefferson, I just entertain him to further my modelling career. Anything to get out of Arcadia Bay. It’s also pretty entertaining to see the Queen knocked from her throne._

_After this small distraction, I resume my window watching. As I stare mindlessly over the campus, I see a girl being chased by David Madsen. Her laughter seeps through the open classroom window as she sprints past, “You can’t catch me fucker.”_

_She glances over her shoulder, flipping off the enraged Blackwell security guard pursing her, “Chloe, get back here, right now!”_

_I have never heard someone laugh like that before. The sound fills my ears and reverberates in my mind. It’s mesmerizing._

_The bell rings, breaking me from my thought and Victoria immediately rushes to Jefferson’s side, leaning over his desk seductively. She is so predictable. I can’t tell if she is just using him for her career like me, or if she actually wants to hook up with him, maybe both. Either way, I’m not going to judge._

_“So Victoria,” Mark crosses his arms across his chest, “what was it you wanted to talk about?”_

_I can’t help but smirk at her usual ass kissing as I sling my stuff in my bag and turn to leave the classroom._

_“I had some questions about this week’s-”_

_Victoria’s words are cut off as Mark calls out to me, “Rachel, I need a word with you,” I stop and glance back over my shoulder at him, “I have something important I want to discuss with you when you have the time.”_

_Victoria glares at me, the reason for her being interrupted. If looks could kill I’d be six feet under. I never tire of seeing her like this, so I decide to twist the knife as usual, “Sure, Mark,” she is practically fuming now as she scowls at me, “I’m busy at the minute, but maybe later today. Say, around six?”_

_He smiles at me, nodding eagerly, “I’ll be waiting here.”_

_I waltz out of the room, taking one last look at Victoria’s pissed off expression. Her face is a picture right now. I wish I could…_

_My world suddenly tips sideways as my body falls onto the floor with a thud, “Ouch, that hurt. What the…?”_

_As I open my eyes I see the girl from before. It appears that she has knocked into me in her attempts to escape David’s wrath. She sits there dazed for a few moments on the floor then after she has correctly assessed the situation, looks over at me apologetically, “Shit sorry, I was trying to get away from step-douche. He’s really got it in for me today.”_

_She gets up and offers a hand to me which I accept. She pulls me up to my feet and I brush myself off, “Don’t worry, I can relate. I’m Rachel Amber by the way.”_

_She grins, “I’m Chloe Price.”_

_She grins, her eyes full of mischief, “I’m Chloe Price.”_

_She grins, her carefree attitude hiding a deep pain, blocking the world out._

_“I’m Chloe,” she says._

_She says-_

* * *

_“Rachel.”_

_Her hushed whisper tickles my ear as I bite down on her neck once again, my teeth grazing her skin. She lets out a quiet moan and moves her head to allow me more access. Every small movement and sound she makes drives me into a deeper state of want. I lift my head much to her protest, my fingertips lightly brushing against the trail of red marks I have made on Chloe’s porcelain skin. They are a statement. No-one else can have you._

_She runs her nails down my back, leaving red trails and making me shudder from the contact. I finally leave her neck and focus my attentions on the rest of her. I make my way further down, raking my fingers down her stomach as I continue my trail of kisses. She shivers as my hands hover over the waistband of her jeans._

_I look up at her now flushed face, “Do you want to?”_

_“Yes,” she breathes._

_I smirk teasingly at her,_ _“I’m sorry, I didn’t quite catch that.”_

_“I want to-” she lets out a shuddery breath which interrupts her sentence as I kiss just above her waistband_

_My fingers idly trace the skin above the waistband, “What is it you want?”_

_I love teasing her. In moments like these I have so much power over her and part of me is excited by that._

_“Rach, please don’t mess around,” she whines, desperate for me to release her from this state of limbo_

_I pout and sigh resignedly, “Fine, You’re no fun.”_

_“Oh, I beg to differ,” she whispers as she tangles her fingers in my hair, pulling my head… my head is killing me, I want it to stop, I want-_

* * *

_Only stupid people have good relationships. She is too attached. All I wanted was to have some fun, but she wants more. I can’t commit so I push her feelings away. I won’t give my heart to anyone. It’s too painful when everything turns to shit. She of all people should know that. Besides… her heart already belongs to another, even if she doesn’t realize it yet. We just continue as before. She asks sometimes, but I just remain cryptic. She gets frustrated, but she never leaves._

_Sometimes I do see a future with her in my head and… oh god... what is- Wait. Who are you?_

* * *

Ignore the voice. Let the last of the memories wash over you. You are back. You are dead. Welcome back to the real world, your world.

When my eyes finally open again, the vivid images of Rachel’s memories are replaced with a ceiling. My back is pressed against the cold hard floor. After a few seconds I stand up, completely disoriented. My limbs feel like jelly and my mind is filled with a thick haze. Where am I? That was nothing like I have ever experienced before. It was so… real. Usually It’s like watching a movie, but this… I lived the memories. They were mine. For a few moments, I was Rachel Amber.

I feel like crying, but obviously I can’t because of the lack of bodily fluids. It doesn’t stop the stinging at my eyes though. I blink slowly and turn my head, my gray eyes settling on her. She is fighting for her life with all her might. A weird sensation passes through my body as I watch her scan the room frantically, “Rachel?”

The mention of her name makes me wince. I glance down at the now desecrated body of Rachel Amber thankfully hidden from Chloe’s line of sight. A pang of guilt coursing through me as I crouch down and retrieve the rest of her brain, shoving it unceremoniously in my pocket. It’s not like she’ll be using it now…. This thought sickens me, but it is too late to feel like that now. What’s done is done and there is no taking it back… no matter how much I want to.

K stumbles up to me, her blonde bun moving slightly as she comes over to me. Even in death, she insists on keeping it tied up. She points towards Chloe, “Her… ph-photo.”

She is right. It is the same girl as in the photo I so deeply cherish. She looks older, thinner, more tired and stressed, but it is most definitely her. K pushes me forward, urging me to go and talk to her, if that’s even possible. I feel nervous all of a sudden. Why? Ok, deep breaths. First things first, wipe the blood off your face. Something tells me that blood pouring from my mouth will not help this conversation go smoothly… maybe that’s just me though.

I inch closer towards her, dragging my feet across the room and almost tripping up over my fallen comrades, most of whom are picking themselves up from the floor. There is only one way to kill us corpses and that is to destroy the brain so most of the time we have very few serious casualties. Even when we do, it’s not like with the Living. Technically, we are already dead so the change is not so drastic. In fact, it almost seems like a better state to be in than flitting between the border Life and Death like we do now.

Chloe backs up against the back wall, her body shaking and eyes fearful as I advance. There are some things that I can’t just wipe away like the blood, such as my pale, scar covered skin and gray, lifeless eyes. I desperately search my mind to find my own memories of her. I can see Rachel’s, but it’s not the same. These memories are stolen.

She slumps down the wall, her eyes full of defeat as she waits for the end. Part of me had expected her to fight to the bitter end, but she has nothing now so why would she? Her friend and on-off girlfriend being lost in the same day must be traumatic, on top of whatever else she has had to endure before now.

Come on. Say something comforting.

“C-C-Chl-Chloe.”

Wowser, I really nailed that one… not.

Her azure blue eyes widen in shock, “Wait… did you just…?”

“Ch-Chloe. Chloe.”

Her name rolls off my tongue like honey, bringing forth a sweet taste. It feels so… right. I hold my hand out to her, beckoning her to come with me. She sheepishly stares at my hand, then at me and finally reach out to me. I glance around at the others, who seem to be sniffing the air curiously. If I don’t do something quickly, they will find out she is living and then attack her. I take a handful of blood from one of the freshly killed teens and smother her with it so as to stifle the smell of life. She flinches as I apply the blood, but she doesn’t pull away from me. I lean in and sniff, unable to detect the scent of life anymore. She is safe… for now. K catches my eye as she leaves, giving me an approving nod before leading the others out of the room. She is such a good wing woman.

I grab hold of Chloe’s hand and gently guide her out of the room in a dazed state. Just before we leave, I see another girl with short blonde hair hiding under one of the tables. I seeing her briefly in Rachel’s memory, Victoria Chase. She stares incredulously at us as we leave.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The plot thickens… Thanks to everyone who has read and supported this story so far. Each and every one of you are awesome. Until next time. Stay safe out there.


	3. Safe in My Arms

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Max needs answers, but is Chloe willing or even able to give them?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let the Hellafest begin MWA HA HA. Warning: from now on Chloe will be speaking so expect hella gross misuse of the word hella. You know you all hella love it really. How many of you (nearly) hella cried in episode 4 at that bit? Sorry I’ll stop now…hella.

**Chapter Three: Safe in my Arms**

I climb the steps up to my room, Chloe and Kate trailing a little way behind me. I keep glancing back over my shoulder at Chloe to see how she’s doing. She’s been through a lot in a very short amount of time and it’s probably overwhelming for her. Every so often she catches me staring. When she does I turn my head back quickly, trying to deny the fact I was looking. We make our way down the corridor in silence. Near the end of the derelict hallway, K walks over to one of the doors to the left, her room. It’s not too far away from mine. We feel at home here in Blackwell Academy. I wonder if maybe once it was. I look over to the room I have been staying in since the outbreak. I was drawn to it, just as Kate was to hers. Judging by the amount of photos on the wall, I think I can safely assume this was my room… well it was alive Max’s room anyway.

K looks at me and nods, then turns around and opens her door as I lead Chloe into mine by her arm. The room is in disarray with books and papers strewn across the floor in messy heaps. Part of the wall has crumbled, exposing it to the outside world. Rain lightly beats against the cracked window. In the corner is a small plant that has obviously been dead for a while if it’s brown, withered leaves are anything to go by, still I can’t bring myself to throw it out. In life I was so untidy, not that I’m much better now, but I think being dead is a good enough excuse.

I like collecting things. Whenever I go on a hunt, I always bring back something. I gravitate towards those objects related to photography, music and strangely pirate related memorabilia. The first two I can understand, but the last is a mystery. Why would I be so drawn to novelty pirate items? Sometimes, it’s best not to question. K always asks if I want help cleaning my room, which I decline. I kind of like it when it’s like this. It feels cozy and more like home to me. Her room is immaculate, however she does have one guilty pleasure. She appears to have a weakness for rabbit related items. This time, I’ve brought Chloe back.

I point towards the bed, “Can… sit… if want.”

Well done, Max. You managed to string a sentence together… well sort of. You shouldn’t deny your progress. Chloe sits down on the bed, shifting anxiously. She’s handling things way better than expected. The fact that I’m ‘Max’ and not just some totally random zombie probably helps. I sit down on the sofa opposite. Chloe may have been comfortable around alive Max, but I don’t think this is the case for me. Besides, I’m really not sure how badly the stench of death that surrounds me is. I’ve sort of grown accustomed to it. When was the last time I showered? Maybe I should shower, that is if the water still works. Chloe stares at me intently and I stare back at her unblinking. I don’t need to, unlike the Living.

After a moment, she cracks a toothy grin, exposing her off-white teeth, “Damn Max, I don’t think I’m going to be able to beat you anymore at stare contests. Hella unfair.”

That is the first thing she says. What else did I expect from Chloe? An in depth discussion on European politics?

“Not-n-not eat. Ke-keep you… safe.”

I move towards the Hi-Fi next to the bed, Chloe flinches slightly as I walk past her. For all her bravado and deflective humor I can tell she is scared shitless, not that I’d ever tell her that, she’d probably hit me. I find the CD I was looking for and put it in, the music slowly beginning to play.

_Face stained in the ceiling…_

Chloe shakes her head, and smiles at me, “Even though you are dead, you are still a hipster, Max.”

There is a silence between us only broken by the gentle strumming of the guitar and haunting vocals. Every so often the music skips, most likely from a scratch on the disc. I stand there awkwardly by the stereo.

_Digging like you can’t bury, something that cannot die…_

“And you’re still a smartass,” she grins.

“Th-that’s why I-I’m here.”

I go to make my way back over to the sofa, but I feel something restricting my movement. I turn and see Chloe’s hand on my wrist. Before I can question, she pulls me down onto the bed and her arms envelop me. She clutches onto me tight and nuzzles into my neck, her voice muffled against my scar covered skin. Something warm and wet splashes onto my skin, “I missed you so much, Max.”

I don’t feel the Hunger. It tries to break through, but is stopped before it even starts. I move my arms to copy the action and hug her back. She seems shocked at first, lifting her head up to look at me, but shakes it off, nuzzling back into my neck. Nothing takes Chloe Price by surprise, ever. Time almost seems to freeze, not that this is even possible. Obviously I can’t smell that badly. Among zombies, hygiene is pretty low down on our priorities list. From my experience, as long as you don’t give up on ‘life’, the process of death is slowed. I might still freshen up a bit later, just to be on the safe side.

After a while, I hear steady breathing. Chloe has fallen asleep with her arms wrapped around me. I lay there beside her, staring at her soft expression. She looks so much younger like this, relaxed and carefree. A sudden pang of guilt enters my body. I was probably at least one of the reasons for her stress. I continue to stare at her, her warm breath tinkling my neck.

Corpses don’t dream. This is something I miss, to be able to just shut the rest of the world out… to forget your troubles. At least this time I have Chloe to observe right now to pass the time. That sounds a bit creepy. Try not to be creepy Max. It’s not going to help the situation. Don’t be creepy, don’t be creepy, don’t be…

I feel her stir against me and she slowly opens her eyes, blinking a few times. Her hair is a mess, but it kind of suits her punk rebel images. I seem to recall a similar situation like this in the recesses of my mind. Maybe I should ask her.

“Chloe.”

She yawns and stretches, her whole body clicking as she does so. She turns to face me, “Hmmm…”

“I remember… this.”

She shifts to a more comfortable position, “A while back we had a sleepover at my house. We broke into the Blackwell Pool and then made our great escape. I didn’t think you would remember,” she goes uncharacteristically quiet, “Uh… what… what else do you remember, not that there was anything else…?”

Chloe pretends to not care about anything, but it’s all just a front. Deep down, she is really insecure. She tries to hide this from everyone, sometimes she can’t. I think deeply, trying to remember what happened.

_Something soft against my lips for a brief second. Stuttered bashful jokes to cover up. Confusion. What does this mean for us? What are we now?_

If I still had blood flowing through my veins, I am sure I would have blushed. Thankfully, I could be spared this embarrassment. Part of me wonders if this is actually Rachel’s memory. It’s obvious they were… whatever they were, ‘involved’. Do I dare say it and risk exposing the horrific thing I did? I would have to tell her eventually, if she didn’t guess. Fuck it.

“I remember… kiss.”

A slight blush creeps onto her cheeks. Ok, she’s not freaking out too much, so this must be my memory. Although part of me is relieved that I cannot blush, another part wishes for nothing more than to feel the heat of my own cheeks once more, but I am denied. I can feel the heat radiating from Chloe. It’s not the same, but it’s still nice.

She quickly changes the subject, her voice hesitant, “If you remember, we were trying to find Rachel…” I feel sick at the mention of this name, knowing what I have done, “We found her… eventually. Then the whole tornado thing happened and… and…” she pauses, her lip quivering as she holds back the tears threatening to fall from her bright blue eyes, “I couldn’t find you. You had vanished off the face of the earth. Now, I know you were…’ she doesn’t continue, her half whispered words hanging in the suddenly heavy silence between us.

I finish the sentence she can’t bring herself to complete, “Dead.”

She looks at me, her eyes full of hopelessness and despair, “Yeah. I looked everywhere for you, I never gave up. You promised me you wouldn’t leave again,” the tears finally fall, her voice audibly breaking as she speaks.

My heart drops in my chest as I watch the tears roll down her cheeks. I move my hand to clumsily brush them away, desperate to somehow stop the pain in her eyes. When I place a hand on her cheek, she leans into my touch, “Here now… n-never leaving.”

She offers me a sad smile, “Yeah. I suppose your right. If dying was your way of trying to get rid of me, it failed miserably,” she clears her throat, swiping at her eyes, “Look at me getting all mushy,” she takes a deep breath to calm herself then smiles at me, “Hey, Max of the Dead, I’m hungry like the Wolf. Let’s bail and grab a bite to eat.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We all know that every Life Is Strange fanfiction has to have a bit of angst in it. The fandom just love feeling sad 24/7. For anyone wondering what the song lyrics are from, thinks back to the ending of episode 2, it’s a long time ago I know…have you got it? If not, it’s Mt. Washington by Local Natives. Thanks again for reading. See you around…sooner than you think. (Sorry I could help myself. Episode 4 ruined my life :’( )


	4. Led by My Instinct

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Max and Chloe go to the Two Whales Diner. Where else would they go?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, I hope you are doing well today. There are some spoilers for episode 3 in this chapter, just in case you haven’t played it.  
> Enjoy

**Chapter Four: Led by My Instinct**

My body instinctively leads me to the Two Whales Diner, supposedly somewhere I frequented in life. Being here seems to cause Chloe a great deal of delight, her face breaking out into a huge toothy grin and her azure eyes sparkling, “Dude, I haven’t been here in forever. You really know how to treat a girl. Do you remember we used to come here like all the time?”

I shrug, hoping that going inside will jog some memories for me. As we enter, vague memories previously buried deep in the depth of my mind resurface. It hasn’t changed much in here, except maybe looking more run down. A couple of the windows are boarded up, suggesting someone tried to bunker down here at some point. From the blood splatters on the floor, it is safe to assume that idea didn’t hold up for very long.

Chloe cautiously checks the bathroom for any unwanted guests. As she does this, my legs move of their own accord to a booth, one I believe I favored in life. There is some sort of mathematical equation scratched onto the table. I brush my hand lightly over it, tracing the indentations fondly as I sit down. I have absolutely no idea what it means.

* * *

_Her eyes flash with excitement as the implications of my claims sink in, “I want proof you can rewind time.”_

_This is all a game to her, one I am happy to entertain._

* * *

_After a few moments of shock, the mischievous twinkle in her eyes intensifies, “Maybe you even made a move on me and I would never know!”_

_My heart rate increases at her words and a very slight blush forms on my cheeks. I am unable to stop the smile tugging at my lips, “Yes, that’s what I did.”_

* * *

“Earth to Max. Helloooooo? Maximo. Maxine,” a hand is waved in front of my face, bringing me back to my senses. Chloe is now back from her perimeter search and has sat opposite me in the booth.

My mind finally catches up with what she had just said and my brow furrows in mild annoyance, “Max, n-never Maxine.”

Her mischievous blue eyes flicker with amusement at my protests, “Glad to see some things never change,” she gives the diner a once over and then props her chin on her hand as she gazes at me, “What were you thinking about?”

I slump back in the broken up chair and exhale, “Here… a conversation… about time.”

Chloe grins at me, “When you showed me your powers? That was amazeballs.”

I had powers? Was I a superhero? Now I’m a zombie. Am I just some really badly thought out amalgamation of action films?

Her admission makes my eyebrows raise in confusion and shock, “P-powers?”

She stares at me, her expression gentle and maybe even a little sad at the mention of powers, “Yeah, you saved me from being shot by rewinding time. Then you kept saving me. The universe really wanted me dead for some reason, but you wouldn’t let it have me,” a warm smile forms on her face at this moment as she gazes deeply into my pewter gray eyes, “Hey, can you still use them?”

That is a good question. Is there some sort of special incantation or movement I have to do?

I instinctively glance down at my right hand, trying to move my fingers. Ever since I died, I’ve found that my movements have been considerably restricted. I can’t hold things without dropping them seconds later. I think I was clumsy in life, but this is a whole new level, “How… do I?”

Chloe places her boots on the table, “Uh, you just sort of raised your hand. I don’t know if there is any special technique to it but give it a go.”

I lift my hand in an attempt to reawaken my powers, but it doesn’t work. I guess I can’t have anything. Time traveling zombies sounds like some weird action film concept.

I shake my head at her and she shrugs, “It was worth a try at least. We can experiment a bit more later. For now though, let’s find some food. I am starving.”

After about half an hour and three crates of moldy food later we manage to find some cans and, much to Chloe’s delight, a crate of beer. We carry it over to the booth and sit back down again.

Chloe takes out one of the beers, opens it and takes a sip, then offers me the bottle, “Do you want some?”

My nose wrinkles in disgust at the beer, “Gr-gross.”

This appears to be a hilarious notion to Chloe, “Oh man you really haven’t changed have you? Well, apart from the whole being dead thing. More for me I guess. It probably wouldn’t do anything for you anyway.”

She opens a can with a rusted knife and begins shoveling the contents into her mouth with little thought for etiquette. I find myself feeling a bit jealous of her being able to eat proper food, to enjoy its taste and to feel full for once. Us corpses never feel full, always in a constant state of emptiness. I miss this more than anything, that and the awareness of my heart beat. In life, this sensation made me feel uneasy, but when my heart ceased beating it left me feeling even emptier. Despite this, I feel content right now, more than I have in a long time. Is this what it was like before?

As Chloe finishes off her food she throws the can onto the floor and sudden grabs hold of my arm and tugs, “I have an idea.”

I don’t know why, but a sudden feeling of dread enters the pit of my stomach which suggests that Chloe’s ideas usually end up going terribly wrong.

* * *

_She lines up her shot,_ " _Goodbye cruel bumper…"_ _the gunshot pierces the air and she stumbles back as the bullet ricochets off the rusted metal straight into her chest,_ _"Max back up."_

* * *

“Th-that impish look… sc-scares me,” I stutter, feeling very apprehensive about what she has planned. She ignores my worries and pulls me out of the diner like an overly-excited puppy going on its first walk. I dig my heels in just before we leave the diner and pull her back, “W-wait.”

She raises an eyebrow in confusion, “What’s up, Max?”

While we were messing around in the diner, a large number of Undead have congregated outside. If we just storm out of there like this, there is no way the others won’t notice. I don’t think I could fend off that many and I’m not sure if Chloe could outrun them. It’s surprising how quickly the Dead can run when driven by their hunger, “Have to…have to act dead. Lots of corpses… not like me… not friendly… will eat you.”

Her face lights up, delighted at the prospect of having to play dead, “Cool, this I can do. I’ve logged some serious hours on Dead Rising and I’ve watched Shawn of the Dead like a billion times. I’ve hella got this.”

She is too excited about this and that worries me. As expected, she over-exaggerates way too much, her arms outstretched before her as she drags her feet with an almost comical gait and groans loudly. My hopes of this not drawing unwanted attention are soon dashed as one of my fellow undead side eyes her suspiciously.

I stumble over to her and pull on her sleeve to discreetly get her attention, “Chloe… t-tone it down… they’ll n-notice.”

Her face drops dishearteningly as she holds her hands up in defeat and mumbles under her breath, “Fine, whatevs, you’re the zombie.”

The rest of the journey goes relatively smoothly with the mass of rotting bodies not seeming to pay us much attention now Chloe’s enthusiastic performance has been toned down a bit. I glance over at Chloe to see her face strained from trying not to smile so as to keep up her appearance of death. She looks like she’s really enjoying herself, which is kind of cute to be honest. She does love trouble.

After a few moments of shuffling among the sea of groaning corpses, we finally stop in an alleyway. Before us sits a beat up yellow truck. It must have been here for some time if the thin layer of rust and the peeling paint are anything to go by. Chloe approaches it and glances over her shoulder, grinning at me, “Look Max, my truck. I’m surprised it’s still here. Shall we go for a drive?”

“I-is that thing even drivable?” I ask, worried that it’d explode or something the second we get in it.

“Only one way to find out…” she grins and opens the passenger’s side door for me. I anxiously sit on the seat and she shuts the door the second I am in. The inside is as much of a mess as the outside. Graffiti covers every inch of the metal frame and the dashboard has been turned into a graveyard of crumpled up soda cans and unpaid parking tickets. A charm hangs down from the mirror with a skull and feather.

Chloe slides into the seat beside me and digs out a key with a cute robot panda key chain attached to it, one that doesn’t really seem to fit her otherwise punk rock aura. After a few unsuccessful attempts at starting the engine up and some choice curses from Chloe, the engine finally stutters to life. With a victorious grin, she pulls out onto the main street and we speed down the road, knocking over corpse after corpse on the way. She has played way too many games like GTA in her lifetime.

I can’t help but grip on tightly to my seat, my body tensing, “S-slow down Chloe.”

Chloe sighs and shakes her head at my caution, “Oh chillax Maximus. I’ve got this under control. Besides, you’re dead so you don’t have anything to worry about. If we crash and burn, you can’t die again.”

Her reassurances do little to help me feel better, “I’d… rather not… if it’s all… the same to you. B-besides, I d-don’t want to have to s-save your ass again.”

She smirks smugly, raising an eyebrow suggestively at me, “Who wouldn’t want to save my ass? It’s my best quality.”

“I-if you say so,” I chuckle.

She feigns a hurt expression, “That was cold, Max. Don’t you agree?”

How the fuck am I supposed to answer that?

I shift uncomfortably, “I… I guess.”

Chloe scoffs at me unconvinced, “Knock it off, Caulfield. I’ve seen you staring.”

“M-maybe.”

Chloe goes uncharacteristically quiet and I glance over to see a conflicted expression on her face. When she finally speaks, her voice is low and emotionally drained, “Max, can you remember anything we found out about Rachel?”

Way to kill the mood, Chloe. Bringing up your ex, who I killed, ate her brain and may possibly have seen some of your ‘personal’ time together… by accident of course, is the perfect way to finish off your flirting.

I shake my head and her grip on the steering wheel tightens, her hands turn white due to the pressure, “We broke into Frank’s RV and we found… pictures and letters. She… she had been cheating on me with Frank.”

Ok, Max get your mind out of the gutter. This is serious. Focus.

Chloe sighs deeply, “It really hurt, you know. I knew she didn’t want to be too serious about everything, but I thought she would at least be faithful or that she would break up with me before going off with someone else,” she pauses for a minute, her expression shifting to one of anger and betrayal as her voice slowly rises in volume, “Fuck, she could have even checked if I was ok with an open relationship. I probably would have said yes because I loved her so fucking much. I’d have done anything for her. I died so many times trying to find her… you did too. I keep thinking back, replaying my time with her and I’ve got to wonder if she ever loved me… or was she just using me?” she freezes for a minute, her eyes widening with realization, “Maybe… maybe I was using her a bit too. When you left I needed someone to fill the empty void. Rachel was that person. Everything is just so complicated. Rachel was fun and all, but sometimes I wish she was more… like you,” I stare at her, unblinking as she shakes her head, “I don’t even know why I’m telling you this. It’s not like it matters anymore. Rachel’s gone. Let’s just head back.”

I move my hand to touch her arm, causing her to look over at me. I awkwardly pull her into a hug, one she gladly accepts. I just wish I had taken advantage of this while I was alive, while I could still…

“Max, not that I don’t appreciate the hug or anything, but it’s getting a little hard to drive like this.”

I break apart from her and settle back down in my seat as we head on back to Blackwell.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Rachel is really clam-jamming Max :p Just like in the game. Things are starting to look up for Max though. Anyway, I’ll be seeing you in the next chapter hopefully.


	5. I Miss Airplanes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Max gives Chloe some space to process everything that has happened. Kate is there to give Max some support.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What’s up guys? Kate finally gets some screen time. To those fans of the Queen Bee Ms Victoria Chase have no fear, she will appear, just a little bit later. I need to get my bitch on in preparation. I hope you enjoy this latest addition.

**Chapter Five: I Miss Airplanes**

K comes out of her room as we go to enter mine. She grunts at us in a friendly manner. I nod and Chloe grins at her, “S’up Kate.”

Kate looks thrilled at this new information, well as thrilled as a corpse can look. I know how long she has wanted to discover her name, as we all have. I have to admit, it has been an indescribable pleasure to reclaim my own. Just to be able to grasp anything from the past is incredible. I am amazed how much I have remembered since reuniting with Chloe. It seems that so much of my being is tied to her.

I push on the door which opens with a loud creak and we stumble on into my room. Chloe strides over to my music collection and absentmindedly begins flicking through it. Her fingertip brush over the cases, stopping when she reaches the middle and pulls a slightly battered case out, shoving the CD in the Hi-Fi, then continues her search. I watch her intently while her fingers brush against the books sitting above my shelf, leaving trails where dust once sat.

I really should do some cleaning around here. I wish I could feel things again. My senses have been dulled due to my recent predicament of being dead. What I wouldn’t give just to touch and taste properly again…

Chloe sighs and turns back to me, her brow furrowed slightly and a hint of melancholy entering her azure blue eyes, “I… I wish Rachel was here,” I freeze at the name as she continues, her voice hesitant, “What happened to her? I assume she got attacked, right? Do you know who did it?”

I remain silent. How can I possibly tell Chloe that I killed her lover and ate her brain? She would hate me and I couldn’t live knowing that she hated me. Well, I don’t technically live now seeing as I am dead, but you get what I mean.

She searches my eyes for an answer and when I don’t answer, she turns away from me, “It doesn’t matter anyway. She’s probably gone now. It just seems so unfair. We just managed to save her and now this…” her voice trails off as she lays back on the bed.

* * *

_Eyes filled with pain. Angel. Smoke engulfing her. Goodbye to my Santa Monica Dreams… "What kind of world does this? Who does this?"_

* * *

“I’ll… b-be back… five minutes,” I mumble as I make my way out of the door into the hallway.

I figure she might want some time alone to be with her thoughts. She’s been through so much. I don’t recollect a lot of things from my life, but one thing I do know is that Chloe needs some space right now. She didn’t say it out loud, but I could tell from how she was acting then.

I exit the building, slowly ambling towards the main part of the campus grounds. Shadows of my former self prowl in the darkness as I walk through. Just being here is bringing back so many memories, or at least parts of them. I clutch at my old battered camera as I take refuge under a tree. It brings me comfort in these dark days. I lean back against the thick trunk, the uneven wood scratching at my back through my worn gray hoodie.

What a day. I hadn’t expected to ever see Chloe again, in fact I didn’t really have any memory of her besides the photo before today. Seeing her again has illuminated my mind. I see tendrils of memory, so close I can reach out and touch them. Most escape my fingers, taunting me with promise of recovering myself before death. Chloe has brought back so many snippets of my life, not to mention my snacking on Rachel’s brain, which reminds me. I reach into my pocket and take a small bite, trying to make it last as long as possible.

* * *

_Chloe and I lay on a red checked blanket out in the middle of a grassy field. While this new world is terrifying and dark, without human interference nature has taken over once more. Poppies grow up through the grass, their bright crimson petals breaking through the otherwise purely green area. They sway in the gentle cool breeze which also ruffles my long blonde hair. The sun feels warm on my skin as I stare up at the blue sky._

_Just when I feel my eyes beginning to close, Chloe’s voice breaks through the drowsiness filling my mind, “Rach.”_

_“Hmm,” is all I can manage in my sleepy state. I open my eyes a fraction and look over to her._

_She sighs, _“I miss airplanes.”__

_Chloe never ceases to surprise me. I glance back up at the sky, watch a couple of birds lazily swooping in the air, _“That’s a strange thing to say considering everything that’s happened. Besides we hardly saw any flying over Arcadia Bay anyway.”__

_She grumbles defiantly,_ _“I can still miss them if I want to.”_

_Chloe is such a child when she is arguing, always pouting. It’s kind of cute really._

_I shrug casually in response, _“I guess so.”__

_“I just feel so trapped here, more than before,” her voice is so distant and hopeless right now, “I just can’t seem to get out of this hellhole. No matter how hard I try, it keeps pulling me back in,” I remain silent as she continues tiredly,_ _“This shitpit has taken away everything I’ve ever loved.”_

_I gently nudge her leg with my foot, _“What about me?”__

_She turns to me, her expression conflicted, _“It tried to take you, but it failed,” she averts her gaze.__

_I shuffle closer to her, placing a brief kiss on her cheek, _“What’s up babe?”__

_Sorrow fills Chloe’s blue eyes, _“The only reason it didn’t take you was because of…”_ _she_ _leans into my neck, hiding her face, “…Max.”__

_I almost miss her name because Chloe whispers it, but I feel it against my skin. I begin stroking her blonde hair. It’s weird seeing it any other color than blue to be honest, but it’s not like she has much choice. Hair dye isn’t exactly in common supply around here, “I am grateful to her. She saved me, you and everybody, but she’s not here, Chloe. I don’t know what happened to her. She may have just left. I don’t blame her to be honest. If she has gone, she will be back soon. She won’t abandon you. This time she can go where she wants, she isn’t restricted by her family.”_

_Chloe sighs, _“You’re right, but I just wish I knew where she was. I’m worried. She promised me. What if she’s…”_ t _he words hang in the air unfinished.__

_I kiss her cheek to try and offer some kind of comfort, _“Chloe, I’m not going to lie to you, she very well might be dead. However, if she is half as persistent as you claim, I think she will be alright. She probably needs some time alone to process everything. I know I would. In the meantime, I’m here for you.”__

* * *

The memory fades as quickly as it began. This time is painful, not physically but emotionally. Chloe was hurting and I wasn’t there, yet again. I am such a disappointment and just keep letting her down over and over again. I can sit here, blaming everyone else and saying that it wasn’t my fault my parents moved, but I didn’t keep in contact. I could say that Chloe could have very easily contacted me first, but I was a coward and she was in no state to initiate a conversation, she had just lost her dad for fuck’s sake. I can say that it’s not my fault I died, but that doesn’t stop Chloe from mourning. It might not be entirely my fault, but I am at least partially accountable for the consequences. I can’t take it back. All I can do is look forward and make myself a better person.

I start making my way back to the dorm building when I see Kate hobble over towards me. She nods in my direction and I find myself feeling glad that she’s here.

* * *

_Rain beating, viral, rejection… safe._

* * *

We both know that something happened that created an unbreakable bond between us. Neither of us are completely sure of what though. Maybe Chloe can enlighten me later.

Kate slowly shuffles over to me, “H-how are you, M-Max?”

I rub the back of my neck awkwardly, “Ok, I think.”     

She stumbles closer to me and clumsily places a hand on my shoulder, “Can… talk to me… if need.”

I sigh tiredly, “Confused.”

“About Chloe?” she questions curiously. Kate has a knack for getting to the root of a problem, or maybe I’m too predictable.

I nod shyly, “Not sure… what we are.”

Kate looks thoughtful, “Just because dead… doesn’t mean… not friends… or more. Should ask her.”

If only it were that easy, Kate.

“Hard to do,” I mumble as I glance down at my worn converses.

She ponders for a moment, “I think… she likes you.”

I shake my head sadly, “She likes Max.”

She squeezes my arm lightly, “Yes, you. Need to… relearn feelings. Reclaim memories. Make new ones. Not stuck in past, Move forward. Will take time, but worth it,” she smiles, well the closest thing that we Dead can get to smiling. Kate always manages to make me feel better, no matter what the situation. I think it’s always been like this. I feel myself being pushed towards the building, “Go,” she puts on a stern expression, one she can’t keep up for more than a few seconds. We both chuckle as I make my way back to my dorm room and to Chloe.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I imagine Kate is really good at giving advice. It was nice to be able to write some interactions between her and Max. The scene with her in episode 4 was literally the only thing that got me through all the shit that happened. Stay safe and I will see you in the next chapter.


	6. I'm in Your Head

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Max and Chloe take a trip to Chloe's old house. This journey helps Max uncover a lot of memories.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys. Welcome back. I hope you’re enjoying the story so far. I think this chapter is my favourite so far, you will see why soon enough. Enjoy.

**Chapter Six: I’m in Your Head**

I climb up the stairs to the girl’s dorm and make my way down to my room. The moment I open my door, Chloe launches herself at me, “BOOYAH!”

I lose my footing and we end up on the floor in an undignified heap, with her landing on top of me.

“Chloe…” I groan.

She looks down at me a smirks, “Get it? BOO-yah, like a scary punk ghost.”

I untangle myself from her and shake my head with a smile, “Scary punk a-asshole more like.”

Chloe feigns a hurt expression, “You wound me,” she leans back on her arms as she sits on the floor with her legs stretched out in front of her, “Max I’m bored. Let’s go blow shit up,” I must have managed to assimilate a stern expression, because she gets up and shoves her hands in her pockets, looking disheartened, “Fine, we won’t blow anything up. You are no fun anymore. I can’t even scare you. Seriously though, can we go out? I need some fresh air.”

I think it over and nod in agreement. It’s not fair on her if we stay here all the time. We exit the Prescott dorm building and head across the main part of the campus grounds towards the parking lot. Chloe’s beat-up truck is parked up just to our right hand side in the handicapped bay.

I shake my head, “E-even now, you just can’t help yourself, can you?”

Chloe shrugs as we walk, “It’s not like anyone else is using them.”

She opens up the passenger’s side door for me and then slides into the driver’s seat. She turns the key a few times before it splutters to live once more. As she pulls out of the parking lot and head along the main street, I turn to Chloe with curiosity, “A-anywhere… in mind?”

Chloe’s face relaxes, her expression vulnerable and gentle, “I want to see my old house. I have some things I want to pick up from there.”

As we drive down the abandoned street, memories flood back to me, both Rachel’s and my own. It can be really hard to differentiate between the two.

* * *

_Run. You need to find Chloe. Find out what happened to her. God I hope she’s ok. I should have never fucked around with these powers. My lungs burn, but now is no time for weakness. I have to get to her. She is my… my…_

* * *

_She calls at 3 am. She needs someone, she needs me. That dickhead hit her again. I’m going to beat the living shit out of him. My lungs burn as I race down the streets of Arcadia, but I have to be strong. No-one fucks with my… my…_

* * *

Chloe glances over at me as she drives, her brow furrowing in concern, “Wow Max. You ok? You look pale. Uh… paler than usual, if that’s possible.”

I shrug, “Remembered stuff.”

She gently taps her on the steering wheel as she tentatively asks, “That’s good, right?”

“Yeah,” I mumble as another memory washes over me.

* * *

_The door opens. Eager anticipation, followed by dread. You did this. It’s all your fault… “Max, help me do this. I’m at the mercy of everyone, please”_

_A flash of blue. I run towards her and hug her fiercely from behind to confirm she is safe and here with me, “Woah, down Max. Thanks for the morning grope.”_

* * *

_The door opens. Unadulterated anger, followed by worry. It’s your fault, you shouldn’t have left her alone… “Rachel help me. I’m at the mercy of Sergeant Dickhead, please.”_

_A flash of blue. I move slightly in my sleep to face her and tighten my hold on her, as if she will disappear the second I let go, “Thanks for the morning grope.”_

* * *

_A sharp pain in my neck._

* * *

“Here we are. Home shit home,” Chloe comments wryly as she pulls into the small parking bay in front of the Price house.

The half painted house looks much more decrepit and run down than before, if that’s possible. The old torn American flag hangs limply outside near the door, fluttering very slightly at the faintest lick of wind. The bushes outside are withered and scraggly, a good watering long overdue. One of the front windows has a large crack running through it, it’s a miracle that its still holding together at all. Regardless of the state, it still feels like home. It is where I spent most of my childhood after all.

She reaches into her pocket and fishes out a key, shoving it in the lock and pushing on the door. I follow her inside, nostalgia washing over me the second I step over the threshold. We make our way up the stairs to Chloe’s room. If someone wanted to look inside her head, I think her room would be a good indication of what it looks like. Messy and disorganised, but cozy. Part of me wants to see inside, open her up and display every thought, feeling and desire… but I won’t. At least I won’t do it in the conventional “crack open skull and eat brains” method. Talking might be a better place to start.

Chloe looks around at her ex-room, a melancholic smile on her face. Like with me, so many of her memories are tied to this place. She tilts her head curiously at me, “Have you still got my dad’s old camera?”

I reach inside my bag and produce the camera, trying hard not to drop it. She takes it from me and snaps a shot. The blinding light disorientates me for a while.

“What is it you always used to say?” she wonders aloud as she retrieves the photo and smiles at it fondly, “Always take the shot. It’s important to save these moments. Who knows how many we’ll have left,” she wanders around the room, looking through the viewfinder, then walks up to me, “Hey, you’re the photographer, you should really be doing this,” she thrusts the camera in my hands and jumps on the bed, wildly waving her arms in the air.

* * *

_“Come on Max, shake that boney white ass, or take a picture with your new camera.”_

* * *

I snap her, capturing this spontaneous action. Once I’ve taken the photo, she sits down on the edge of the bed. I glance down at the photo of her and smile to myself as I join her. We sit there in silence for a few moments, just getting used to being in this room again. She stares intently into my eyes, “Why are your eyes like that?”

I shuffle under her intense gaze, “Like… what?”

Chloe’s brow furrows slightly, “They’ve changed colour. They used to be blue, now they are sort of gray.”

I shrug, “Don’t know.”

She looks at me curiously, “Do they change colour when you kill someone or eat a brain or whatever you guys do?”

I chuckle at her excitement for the weird and wonderful, “That’s… vampires, Chloe.”

She smiles sheepishly, “Oh yeah, right. I need to brush up on my supernatural knowledge,” she fidgets, “I like them you know… your eyes I mean. They are kind of pretty,” she pauses then begins to stutter, “Not that they weren’t before or anything. Now they are hella cool. Maybe a bit creepy.”

I think this is the first compliment I’ve received since death. We corpses are not renowned for giving compliments. What would they even sound like? Oh, your frontal lobe is looking especially tasty today. I mean, that’s what we value most, people’s brains.

* * *

_“Nerds are hot… No-one is good enough for you… besides me… Don’t take back that kiss.”_

* * *

Chloe goes uncharacteristically quiet for a few moments before giving me an almost indecipherable look, her voice hesitant as she asks, “Max… do you eat people?”

I nod, “Yes.”

Chloe bites at her lip as her expression becomes troubled and eyes fill with confliction, “If you don’t, you’ll die? Well, not die but you get what I’m trying to say.”

“Yes,” I affirm.

She hugs her legs close to her chest and rests her chin on her knees, “But you didn’t eat me, you saved me again. You haven’t fed off of anyone since have you?” I don’t think that Rachel’s brain really counts, so I shake my head in response. She gives me a long hard look, “Max, are you… are you changing?” I shrug at her question. I have no clue what is happening to me right now. She closes her azure blue eyes and sighs, “Anyway, I’m going to hit the hay now. So… uh… goodnight.”

I get up off of the bed and make my way out of the room, glancing back over my shoulder to see her getting settled down on the bed. I’m sure Chloe would feel safer not being in the same room with a zombie there, no matter if she knew the person before. I head on into the lounge and lay down on the couch with a soft thud, my mind wandering as I stare up at the ceiling.

* * *

_“Can you feel it Max? Feel things,” Kate asks almost dreamily._

_I look over to her and nod, “What’s happening?”_

_Kate shrugs, the default response for us it would seem, _“I don’t know, but its good right?”__

_“I want to feel again, need to,” I admit. I have grown tired of this state of limbo, not really being dead or alive._

_She looks at me intently with a determined fire in her faded eyes I haven’t seen from anyone in a long time, _“We can choose to live again.”__

* * *

Raindrops fall onto the roof and the wooden frame of the couch creaks as I adjust myself. Out of the corner of my eye I see a familiar flash of blue. I lift my head up and she her stood just a few feet away, leaning against the crumbling wall of the hallway. Her arms are folded protectively across her body as her fingers drum on her arm and her foot taps on the stained thin blue carpet.

“H-hey,” I greet her as I shift to an upright position, “What’s u-up?”

She focuses her attention on her boots as she speaks, “Well, I was thinking… the bed upstairs is pretty big. So if you want… I don’t mind you joining me,” I raise my eyebrows as she looks up at me and starts to backtrack, “Look, all I’m saying is that I don’t mind if we share, like old times. I get lonely and I sleep better if someone else is there. I haven’t showered in weeks, so it’s not like the smell will bother me. We will cancel each other out…” her face falls and she mumbles under her breath, “Never mind.”

She trudges out of the room, dragging her feet and heading on back up the stairs, the wood groaning under her weight. I hesitate for a few seconds, weighing my options up and then make my way up after her. If my heart still was capable of pumping blood around my body, I’m certain that it would be beating at a million miles an hour right now.

It’s just like old times right? It’s no different, so there is no need to get nervous. I used to sleep in the same bed as Chloe all the time when we were little… and alive.

I sigh at this thought as I push on the door to Chloe’s room. I find her splayed out on her bed as per usual, hogging most of the space. She always managed to wrestle most of the covers her way and she never was a still sleeper by any definition. It doesn’t really matter now though, I don’t feel the cold anymore.

I stand there in the middle of the room, awkwardly stare at her for a minute before she pats the space beside her, “Come on Max, no need to be shy,” I take her up on her invitation, laying down on the bed and get settled right on the edge, “Max,” Chloe whines from beside me, “Come on do this properly. I need a snuggle buddy.”

I turn to face her and slowly inch closer. Obviously I take too long, because she drags me over to her so violently that our faces are literally inches apart now. She looks deeply into my eyes, a look I return. It’s so hard to tell what she’s thinking now. Chloe had never been the most forthcoming with her feelings.

As we lay there, her nose wrinkles slightly in mild disgust, “Uh… no offence Max but could you brush your teeth or something. Your breath hella sticks.”

What did I expect? Of course my breath stinks. I roll over and pull myself out of the bed, “Sure. Be back soon.”

“You’d better be,” she calls after me as I make my way across the hallway to the bathroom. I clumsily stumble towards the sink, glancing down at the old toothbrushes.

* * *

_Chloe always let me use her toothbrush. The funny thing was that I always hated it when Chloe used mine._

* * *

I decide to spare her finding two day old pieces of her dead girlfriend’s brain on her toothbrush. I’m just considerate like that. I find a new one underneath the sink in the cupboard, crack open the packaging and brush away the months of rotted flesh and other things. As I spit out into the sink, I recoil at the vile concoction left in the basin. It certainly doesn’t look pretty. I reach over and use the last remnants of the mouthwash bottle on the side for good measure. I examine my yellowed teeth, which now look significantly better than before, and walk back to Chloe’s room, resuming my position on the bed.

As I meet Chloe’s gaze once more, my brow furrows at the anxious glint slowly creeping its way into her blue eyes, “Wh-what are you th-thinking?”

She snaps out of her trance, “Oh, not much, just that I’m… happy.”

I smile, or at least attempt to with limited success, “M-me too.”

Chloe smirks at me cheekily, “I hope so Max, you have a hella hot girl next to you in bed after all.”

I chuckle at her teasing, “Wh-whatever you s-say.”

A heavy silence hangs in the air then as Chloe turns her head from me ever so slightly. Did I say something wrong?

“Wh-what’s wrong?” I ask tentatively.

She turns her eyes back to me and swallows, “I am… I mean… you do think I’m…”

“Y-you’re what?”

She buries her head in my neck and mumbles something against my scarred skin that I can’t quite make out.

“Chloe?”

She turns away from me again, “Never mind.”

“Chloe, l-look at me,” she refuses at first, but I coax her head upwards, “You are a-as you put it h-hella hot.”

She blushes, failing to hide the smug grin forming on her face, “Hella? Wow, I am a good bad influence on you,” her eyes wander over my pale freckled face, finally settling back on my pewter gray eyes, “Max, what would happen if I… if I dared you to kiss me? Would I die, become like you? Is that a way it can pass from person to person?”

Where is this coming from? I am taken aback by her question, “Uh… n-not sure. Maybe? Only know th-through bite method n-not been tested before.”

She licks her lips, “Ok, good to know. It’s probably about time someone tested it to be honest. Just to see what happens. Who knows, it could turn out to be the cure we have all been searching for.”

Is she…? She doesn’t seem to be teasing.

“Max, I… I dare you… to kiss me,” she looks away slightly but keeps glancing over, searching for an answer.

My eyes widen as the implications of her question finally fall into place. I can’t hesitate for too long or she will think I’m ignoring her, “Ok. If… if you’re sure w-want to risk it.”

She offers me a small warm smile, her blue eyes gentle as she gazes deeply into my eyes with uncertainty, “Being a zombie wouldn’t be all that bad… if you were there,” for someone who acts so confident she really is a nervous wreck in these situations, but I find it endearing.

I move slightly closer, testing the water. When she doesn’t pull away from me, I realize that she is serious. This is not some joke.

“Just… just don’t… you know… eat me or whatever,” she stutters nervously.

I smile mischievously, “Th-that comes later.”

She laughs, a slightly blush creeping onto her cheeks, “I did kind of walk into that one.”

Before either of our resolves falter, I lean in and press my lips against hers. It feels soft like before, soft but more. I hope my lips aren’t too rough, maybe I should have used some lip balm. Chloe slowly moves her lips against mine, breaking through my insecurities. Obviously they can’t be that bad.

The kiss is only brief, but nonetheless it sends shivers down my spine. This is… different from before. This time isn’t rushed or passed off as a joke. We break apart, resting our heads against each other. When I open my eyes, I see Chloe staring back at me. I swear I can see a flicker of gold, but it quickly dissipates.

She clears her throat, “So… have I turned all zombie-ish yet?”

“Doesn’t l-look like it,” I reassure her.

She sighs in relief, “I’m glad. Max, know that I…” her voice breaks at this point. She takes a deep breath to compose herself and whispers, “I just want to say that I fucking missed you.”

“I missed you too,” I breath as my grip on her tightens. The universe is giving me a second shot at life. I will hold on tight and never let go. For the first time in forever, I dream.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That was a satisfying chapter to write. Lots of fluffy fluff after all the angst. The kiss in Warm Bodies doesn’t happen until later, but I saw an opportunity and took it. See you in the next chapter you awesome people (I’m assuming if you are this far into it there is no turning back. I have trapped you.)


	7. Sailing the Seven Seas

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> For the first time since death, Max dreams. She experiences more of Rachel's memories, but something is different this time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is really heavy on the memories, which as a reminder are the bits in italics.  
> Enjoy

**Chapter Seven: Sailing the Seven Seas**

_Before me is a table sparingly covered in food. Opposite me sits a blonde woman with a kind face and gentle blue eyes, Joyce Price. I’ve been over to the Price house several times before, often spurred on by the fact that Joyce makes the best food in Arcadia._

_I have yet to see David Madsen in his natural habitat, which will be a fun experience for all of us… not. If he is anything like he is at Blackwell, I’m not sure the house will still be standing at the end of our ‘meeting’. I always come round when he is out to avoid unnecessary conflict. None of us deserve to witness that._

_I feel a hand on my thigh and glance over to see Chloe staring back at me, smiling warmly as she reassuringly squeezes my leg._

I am Rachel again. I thought she had gone now. It’s amazing how far people go to hold onto life. Or is this me? My mind tormenting me with images of what I have taken away from the world… of my crime.

_“So, Rachel, how is everything at Blackwell going? Are you enjoying it there?” Joyce asks casually as she finishes off her food._

_I swallow before answering her, “Yes thanks Mrs Price, it’s going great. Especially since I met Chloe, I’m sure it can only get better from here.”_

_She laughs heartily, “Come on Rachel. I’ve told you a thousand times. Please call me Joyce. I wouldn’t be so quick to assume that. Chloe does love trouble.”_

_Chloe pouts defiant, crossing her arms defensively over her chest, “Hey no fair. I resent that remark.”_

_I chuckle at her childish display, “I can handle her, Joyce.”_

_“She can, all too well,” Chloe mumbles amusedly under her breath. She really could do with a mouth filter sometimes… make that all the time._

_Joyce narrows her eyes suspiciously at Chloe, “What was that, Chloe?”_

_Chloe offers her a charmingly innocent grin, “Nothing.”_

_Joyce shakes her head, a very slight smile forming on her lips, “That’s what I thought, young lady.”_

_There are four chairs at the table, only three of them are actually occupied. The one that remains empty used to belong to William Price before he, as Chloe puts it, left when she was thirteen. Nowadays it sometimes has another occupier, David Madsen._

_From time to time I gently probe her about William. She never offers me more information, not even when we lay there completely naked as vulnerable as anyone can possibly get. It’s too painful for her and I respect the fact that there are some things she doesn’t want to tell others. Everyone has secrets. I know I have my fair share._

_“What are you planning to do after you’ve finished?” Joyce probes curiously._

_I gather my cutlery up on my now clean plate, “Well, I really want to be a model.”_

_Joyce smiles, “I think that would suit you well. You have more of an idea than Chloe does.”_

_Chloe shrugs, re-adjusting the beanie sat atop her head, faded blue strands of hair dangling down from it, “I’m working on it.”_

_“Uh-huh, that’s what you told me last month too,” Joyce mumbles to herself._

_“I have to say, Joyce,” I interject, changing the subject before a fight breaks out, “You really have outdone yourself today.”_

_“Why, thank you Rachel,” Joyce beams at me. She stands up and gathers the plates together, placing them by the sink before turning back to us, “Right girls, I’ll have to love you and leave you. I’m going to the Two Whale now. There are some pancakes left in the fridge from yesterday. Help yourselves. See you late.”_

_Chloe and I wave her off as she heads on out of the door. Almost immediately after she has left, Chloe grabs onto my arm and impatiently drags up from my seat, “Come on, Rach, let’s go to my room. Race you.”_

_“You’re on, Price,” I challenge as we both run frantically up the stairs to Chloe’s room, almost falling over one another in our excitement. When we reach her door we burst through, ending up in a pile on the floor just inside the door, with me landing directly on top of her. We are both really competitive._

_“I got here first,” Chloe announces confidently._

_“No way, Priceless, I definitely won that one,” I protest, trying to catch my breath from the sudden exertion._

_“You wish you had,” she scoffs._

_I lean down kiss her tenderly, then offer her a coy smile, “Is the jury willing to change their verdict on that one?” my hand finds its way into her hair and pull off her beanie._

_Chloe looks up at me suspiciously, “Are you trying to blackmail me?”_

_I run my fingers through her faded blue hair, her strawberry blonde roots poking through, “I would never do such a thing…”_

_After a few seconds of futile resistance, she sighs resignedly, “Fine you win. I’ll get you next time though.”_

_I grin victoriously as I get up off of her, offering her a hand to help her up. She brushes herself off and makes her way over to the bed. I follow her and we sit down on the edge._

_“Hey, Frank gave me this new blend,” Chloe announces suddenly, pulling a small plastic baggie from her pocket and holds it up so I can see as she smiles coaxingly at me, “Want to try?”_

_“When would I ever say no?” I point out, crossing my legs._

_“Good point.”_

_We sit there contently, the smoke from the joint engulfing us as we smoke. Things are going my way for now, which makes a nice change. Of course this doesn’t last very long as the front door bursts open and footsteps pound on the ground. Shit, David wasn’t supposed to be here today._

_Chloe stubs out the joint as her door is nearly ripped off its hinges as a burly moustached man with a stern expression storms into the room, his gruff voice reverberating off the walls, “Chloe, I told you…” he stops abruptly when he sees me and narrows his eyes confrontationally, “What is she doing here?”_

_David and I have butted heads together on several occasions. He is adamant that I am dealing drugs at Blackwell just because I know Frank. Even if I was, it’s no concern of his. David suspects everyone though._

_“Dude, she can be here if she wants to. I can invite my friends over if I want. This is my house too,” Chloe snarls aggressively._

_David scowls at her angrily, his jaw clenching as he barks, “You don’t have any friends,” his eyes fall on the ashtray next to her bed, “Wait is that grass?”_

_Chloe stands up, drawing herself to her fullest height and staring him down, “Yeah, so what if it is? And for your information I have plenty of friends.”_

_“Chloe I ordered…” he clears his throat, “told you not to smoke,” he jabs his thumb in my direction, “Is she here to hook you up, huh? That’s the only reason she could be here.”_

_Chloe’s voice begins to spiral out of control at his harsh tone, “It’s my fucking life. I can do what I want. Why don’t you just shut the fuck up and-”_

_He raises his hand to hit her, but I am quicker. I lunge at him and wrestle him to the ground. He seems stunned, obviously not expecting me to do anything to stop him, to just sit there and watch her get hurt. I can’t just stand there and watch this. Who would do that? How can anyone sit there and watch someone they care about be hit?_

_I whisper menacingly in his ear, “If you try to hit her again, you are going to be fucking sorry.”_

“Way to go, Rachel,” I mumble to myself, thankful that someone was there to help Chloe… even if I wasn’t.

The scene before me pauses and Rachel lifts her head to face me, “Thanks.”

I am taken aback by her sudden focus on me and stutter, “Y-you can hear me?”

Rachel smiles at me warmly, “Sure I can. You must be Max, right?”

I nod, still confused at what is happening right now, “Uh… y-yeah.”

“Rach,” Chloe whines, “Can you hurry this up, I want to get out of here. Things kind of turned to shit, as per usual. Not that I don’t appreciate the help.”

Rachel glances over at Chloe, “Right, just wait a minute,” she turns her attention back to me, “Max, listen to me. You’d better look after her, because I can’t now. Don’t let anyone hurt her. Promise me.”

“I promise,” I affirm confidently.

Rachel looks satisfied with my promise, her hazel eyes softening, “Good. I know you care about her, and she cares about you.”

I need to apologize for everything I’ve done to her. The words tumble from my lips, “I’m sorry about killing you Rachel. I didn’t want to…”

She holds her hand up to stop me, “It’s happened now. There is no point dwelling on the past. Move forward. Do better. Just make her happy in the way I wasn’t able to.”

Chloe places an arm around Rachel’s shoulder, “Babe, you did make me happy.”

Rachel smiles at her sadly, “I know, but Max can make you happier. She can give you the things I never could. I know it,” she glances over at me, her eyes pleading, “Right, Max?”

The scene resumes once again as if nothing had ever happened.

_Chloe stares at me completely dumbfounded as I get up and grab her hand. I drag her along behind me as I exit her room, leaving David still laying on the ground in a daze. We burst out of the house, sprinting down the almost empty streets until we physically can’t anymore. We collapse against a nearby tree, panting heavily as beads of sweet trickle down our brows. As we sit there in silence, my hand finds hers and our fingers intertwine. As shit as this all is, at least we have each other._

_This way we can weather the storm that is to come._

* * *

_Chloe, Victoria and I lay down on the beach, well what’s left of it after the outbreak. After everything that has happen, Victoria and I made our tentative peace. The world is running out of time so we may as well make amends while we can. We still aren’t really used to the thought of being friends, but we tolerate each other now. Progress is progress, no matter how small._

_“Ok guys,” Chloe throws a rock into the water. It skims across the surface, creating ripples, “What are we all going to be in three years’ time? Icky Vicky care to start.”_

_Victoria rolls her eyes, “You are so lucky that you are all the way over there. If you were any closer I’d hit you. I’m tempted to pick up a rock to throw at you, but it would be a waste of my precious time,” Chloe grins cheekily at her as she continues, “Obviously, I’ll be a world famous photographer. Is there any doubt? If it wasn’t for that stupid tornado that’s what I would have been doing now,” her face softens a fraction, “We are all feeling shit about what happened. We’ve all lost so much. I want to give things back. I want to heal the world through my art.”_

_Chloe feigns a shocked expression, “Oh god. Did the tornado fuck with your personality? Are you concussed? What have you done with the real Victoria Chase?” she smirks impishly, “Wait, never mind, we don’t want her back. You can have her.”_

_“Oh shut up Chloe,” Victoria sighs, “I’m not a complete bitch… not anymore.”_

_Chloe can’t help but laugh as she scoots over and throws an arm around Victoria’s shoulder, “Ok, ok, Victoria Chase, healer of the world.”_

_Victoria scoffs, “Excuse me, peasants must ask permission to touch their Queen,” as much as she moans and grumbles, she provides little physical resistance to this action._

_Chloe’s grin widens as she lightly teases, “I’ll be your first client. I could do with a bit of the famous Chase artistic healing.”_

_I snigger at Victoria’s mildly annoyed expression as she rubs her temples, “You are fucking unbearable, Chloe.”_

_“Damn right,” Chloe smirks smugly, “You wouldn’t have me any other way though.”_

_Victoria sighs, “It is nice not to be completely surrounded by mindless minions. I sometimes want to have an intelligent conversation with someone who isn’t scared about disagreeing with me.”_

_I crawl my way over to the other two and place my head in Chloe’s lap, “Don’t worry Icky Vicky, we aren’t scared of you and we don’t mind disagreeing with your authoritarian rule. It is a burden we are willing to bear… a sacrifice we are willing to make for the greater good.”_

_Victoria rolls her eyes, but can’t quite hide the grin forming on her lips. Chloe starts playing with the long blonde strands of my hair, “I assume you still want to model, Rach.”_

_“Of course,” I assert, “what else could you see me doing?” I stare up at those mischievous blue eyes I have come to adore, “How about you?”_

_“That is a good question,” Chloe mutters, closing her eyes momentarily deep in thought, “I want to be a pirate and sail the seven seas,” this elicits laughter from us all, “Hey, I’m serious. Maybe you guys could come with me. We can steal a boat and leave this shithole. Travel everywhere we possibly can, find the booty…”_

_“Already got you covered on that front, babe,” I wink._

_Chloe shrugs, “More booty can’t hurt.”_

_I lift my head slightly and narrow my eyes at her, “Are you implying my booty is not sufficient?”_

_She chuckles and brushes my vibrant blue feather earring with her fingertips, “Of course not, but Victoria needs some.”_

_Victoria shakes her head in mild disgust, “Oh please I don’t want any booty Price here finds. It would be of an inferior quality.”_

_Chloe pushes Victoria gently on the shoulder, “Hey watch it. I’ll have you know my booty detection skills are on point.”_

_I giggle, “I can second this. Just look at me.”_

Rachel turns to face me, her hazel eyes meeting mine, “What about you, Max? Are you coming with us?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was really enjoyable to write. Victoria finally made a decent appearance. She is so fun to write, especially coupled with Chloe and Rachel’s teasing. It can lead to some pretty funny places.  
> See you next time. Take care.


	8. Circular Motion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chloe and Max make a discovery that could potentially change everything.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I see we have a few new followers. Welcome and thank you for joining. Thanks to everyone for coming along for the ride. There are some spoilers for episode 4. I try to be as vague as possible, but if you have played episode 4, you will understand what is going on, hopefully. Enjoy.

**Chapter Eight: Circular Motion**

My eyes open abruptly, the beach and Rachel now replaced with the familiar sight of Chloe’s old room. I rub at my eyes, a haze of sleep still clinging onto my mind as I turn to see Chloe, who is still clutching onto me tightly as she lightly snores. I try to disengage myself gently, but her grip tightens when I attempt to move her arms from me. If she has a hold of something physical and never let’s go… it will never be able to disappear. I sigh dejectedly at this thought and begin scanning the room with my pewter gray eyes.

Golden rays pierce through the smudged window, dust particles reflecting the light. As the light falls on Chloe she curls up tighter, making herself small as she buries her head into my shoulder. If she hides, she will never have to face the light. She can stay here, holding on for dear life to the things she wants.

This bliss can only last for so long. We are not meant to tarry too long in the world of dreams. We have to return to the world of the living and face the things we fear. If we keep running away, we will exhaust ourselves and also give our fears time to grow in strength and number.

Chloe finally stirs, lifting her head as she slowly opens her eyes, “M-morning, s-sleepyhead.”

She groans, resting her head back on my shoulder, “What time is it?”

I shrug, “Don’t know.”

She looks up at me pleadingly, “Can’t we just stay like this a bit longer?”

I sigh, gently reaching out and playing with the blue strand of her hair, “Ok, as long as y-you promise not to f-fall back asleep.”

“Hmm… ‘kay,” she mumbles, snuggling back up to me once more.

I wish we could stay like this forever in our own little cocoon. Just as she gets settled again, the house shakes violently and a loud metallic grinding sound fills the blissful silence. Chloe sits up abruptly, suddenly very alert. She turns to me with mild fear in her eyes, “What was that?” she walks over to the window and cautiously peers out, “What is…?” her eyes widening when she sees the convoy of army trucks thunder down the derelict street, “Shit… Max, it’s David. Has he sent a search crew out looking for me?” she steps back from the window, shaking her head, “I don’t want to go back,” she pauses, glancing over at me and her eyes flicker with realization.

“A-are you ok?” I ask, worried about her sudden strange behavior.

She shakes her head, her expression horrified and her voice wavering, “He would have… shot you, you know. If you were in that street, he wouldn’t have hesitated. He wouldn’t have even considered that you could think and feel. He would have just…” her words trail off into silence as she envisions the image in her mind.

I move closer and wrap my arms around her comfortingly, “I’m h-here. Not going a-anywhere. Not anymore.”

If I still had to breathe, the amount of pressure Chloe applied in the hug would have been problematic. It’s a good thing I don’t need to. I rub small circles on her back, remembering that it always used to calm her down when we were kids.

* * *

_Chloe stands there before me, covered in dirt and cuts, her blue eyes watery from the unshed tears. “Max, those assholes at school are at it again.”_

_My eyes widen at the state she is in, “Chloe, what happened?”_

_She doesn’t say anything. She simply launches herself at me, the force knocking me off balance and we both collapse into an undignified heap in the doorway._

_She buries her head into my shoulder, adamant to hide the tears that are now so obviously falling, her voice strained as she tries to keep some composure, “They tried to bully a kid, so I said something, but there were lots of them.”_

_I don’t know what to do with my arms, so I gently start to rub her back. The action seems to calm her down a bit. We sit there for a while as she relaxes against me. After a few moments, she glances up at me, “You would have been proud of me. I managed to take down two of them.”_

_“That’s awesome, Chloe. You’re like a superhero,” I smile warmly. I’m not sure I could have done what she did._

_She shrugs, clutching onto me tighter, “I’d rather be a badass pirate.”_

_I help her up and we head on into my house, “Come on Long John Silver, let’s get you cleaned up.”_

* * *

My lip quirks at the memory, yet another one that has returned to me. We finally break apart and Chloe grins at me, “So… what are we doing for breakfast? I am fucking starving.”

“W-when aren’t you?” I lightly tease as we head on downstairs.

Chloe has saved some tins from our outing to the Two Whales. I’m surprised at her conservation. Usually she would have wolfed down everything without a second thought. I have no idea where all that food goes. Her stomach is a bottomless pit. I guess the apocalypse changes people.

Once she has polished off every last morsel, Chloe stands up from the table, “I’m just going to stretch my legs, be right back,” I nod as she makes her way over to the door. It creaks open and a scream echoes down the hallway, “AAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHH!”

“Chloe?” I call out as I stumble clumsily towards the door.

When I get there, I see a familiar kind face. An undead girl with blonde hair tied up in a bun with a golden cross dangling down from a thin metal chain. She grins at me sheepishly, “H-hi Max.”

“Kate?”

Chloe clutches at her chest, relief washing over her face, “Oh my god Kate, you scared me. I thought that was it for me. Can you guys not be so zombie-ish please?”

Kate smiles apologetically at her, “S-sorry, didn’t mean to sc-scare you.”

I hobble towards Kate, “W-what’s the m-matter?”

“Came t-to find you. Something im-important,” she moves inside the hallway and stares at both of us earnestly, “Zombies are ch-changing.”

Chloe’s brow furrows in confusion, “What?”

Kate motions her thumb towards me, “Ch-changing, like Max and me.”

“How?”

She points to her head, tapping at it gently, “They r-remember. I remember.”

This is beyond anything I ever could have hoped for. Chloe seems as excited as I am at this news, “I need to tell David. He will just keep killing them if not. If they are being cured, we can save them. Come on, we need to go now,” just as we reach the door, she skids to a halt, “Oh wait, I just need to go and grab some things from upstairs. I’ll be two seconds,” she throws me the keys to her truck, which I surprisingly manage to catch, “Can you get it started?”

I nod and make my way outside as Chloe races up the stairs. I jam the key into the ignition and manage to get it started up as she exits the house.

Kate pulls on my arm to get my attention before I get in the truck, “I’ll g-get others, like us. Go to stadium, help.”

“Thanks.”

“No pr-problem,” she beams as she shuffles off.

I flop down into the passenger’s side seat and Chloe backs out onto the main road, speeding off as fast as she can. The abandoned buildings race past us in a blur as we make our way down the street.

As we drive, Rachel’s mind pushes through yet again, “Max, you’ve seen some of the good parts of my life, are you ready to see the bad?”

* * *

_Darkness… footsteps. I can’t move, can’t speak. What happened? Where am I? Come on Rachel, think. You were at the Vortex Club Party, then… fuck._

_The haze in my mind clouds my memory. I slowly open my bleary eyes a fraction, only able to see shapes and colors, nothing definite. A shadowy figure looms over me and a sudden bright piercing light flashes before me. I close my eyes instinctively to block out the invasive light._

_“Rachel… Rachel are you up?” a muffled taunting voice calls out to me, one I know all too well._

_Pretend to be asleep. That is probably the only way to save yourself._

_“Come on now, I know you aren’t really asleep. Don’t try to deceive me,” I feel a sharp pain in my abdomen and can’t help but curl up and cry out in pain, “See, you are awake. I didn’t want to have to do that. You made me do it. It’s your fault.”_

_Who the fuck does this person think they are?_

_I try to focus on the figure, but no matter how hard I try they remain a blurry shadow, “Now Rachel, I’m here to help you. You want to get into modelling, right? Well, this little exercise will help. Unfortunately, it won’t be going public, but you can always use experience, right?”_

_I feel myself being dragged toward the light. It hurts to look at, so I keep my eyes tightly shut, hearing the mocking voice once more, “Now, if you behave, this will be over quickly. If you don’t, this will be a very painful experience for you, which is highly unnecessary,” I feel hands all over my body, positioning me, “See, that wasn’t so difficult was it?”_

_I try to move my hands and feet to find that they are bound. I go to cry out for help, but am restricted by something, “Please don’t move. It will ruin the shot.”_

_I managed to open my eyes a bit and am almost blinded by the flash. I screw my eyes up again, the light still visible as blobs of color behind my eyelids, “Open your eyes, please,” the voice instructs._

_I don’t want to risk being blinded again, so I keep them shut. I hear footsteps and my eyes are forced open. It takes a few seconds for my vision to focus. When it does, I feel so betrayed, “Now don’t look like that. Because you have been so compliant so far, I’ll remove the mouth restraints. See, I am fair.”_

_The thing restricting my mouth, which I now realize is duct tape, is removed, “W-w-why?” I stutter, my words coming out slurred._

_The figure offers me a twisted smirk, “Because, dear Rachel, I can.”_

* * *

The memory fades once again, revealing Rachel standing there in front of me, “You know what happens next, or at least what is supposed to happen,” she looks at me appreciatively, “But it doesn’t, because you save me, Max,” her expression becomes troubled, “Still, deep down I had to endure it. In death I can see it, feel it. It happened, it _was_ real. You had to suffer a similar fate.”

I reach up instinctively and my fingertips lightly brush against my neck.

_A sharp pain in my neck._

Rachel offers me a sympathetic smile, her hazel eyes gentle, “A memory we both have in common. Now, we are both dead. You still have a chance to live. Hold onto it and never let go. One more thing we have in common is Chloe,” she sighs deeply and gives me a pleading look, “Make her happy for the both of us.”

“I will,” I promise.

Rachel’s lip quirks up into a fond smile, “I know you will, Max.”

* * *

I can feel someone shaking my shoulder and I open my pewter gray eyes to see what is going on. When my vision comes into focus, I realize I am still in Chloe’s truck. It’s currently parked just off of the main street leading up to the main human compound in this area.

“Hey, Max, we’re here. You really aren’t a morning person are you? You were out for the count,” she chuckles lightly as she quietly gets out of the truck. I follow her lead and step out into the street, looking up at the Stadium towering over us. Chloe looks around, cautiously scanning the area, “We’ll need to sneak round the back. There is a hidden entrance.”

We make our way through the stadium, finally finding the boarded up window that leads to the main part of the compound. Chloe pulls the rotted wooden boards off and steps through the hole. I follow her through and am immediately hit with the overwhelming scent of life.

It’s everywhere, assaulting my dulled senses from every angle. I didn’t realize how many people there were here of all different ages. Chloe grabs hold of my hand and briskly walks down winding streets. I look on in awe at the progress the Living have made since the outbreak began. They have already gotten a working farming system up and running by the looks of it and I even see a few renewable energy powered generators dotted around.

She stops suddenly in front of a modestly sized house and I narrowly avoid bashing into her back, “Here we are,” she mutters as she opens the door and guides me inside. Once we are securely out of sight, she sighs in relief, “That went surprisingly well.”

Just as Chloe says this, there is some shuffling and footsteps from upstairs and a confident voice calls down to us, “Who’s there?”

We freeze as the footsteps come closer and the floorboards creak. Without hesitation, Chloe quickly shoves me into a small closet just to our right that has been used to store various boxes and shuts the door.

I can hear muffled voices from behind the door, “Oh my god, Chloe. Where have you been? Not that I was worried or anything.”

“It’s nice to see you too, Victoria,” Chloe mumbles.

“You’ve been missing for days. What the hell have you been doing?” Victoria questions accusingly.

There is a short silence before Chloe replies, “Well, that’s a long story.”

“Do tell.”

“You know I got taken,” Chloe begins hesitantly, understandably uncertain of how to approach this.

“Yeah,” Victoria prompts for her to continue.

“Well… it was-”

 **CRASH**.

I wince as one of the cardboard boxes smash to the floor in the closet, the contents of it spilling out all over the floor with a metallic clang. My clumsiness really will be my downfall.

“What was that?” Victoria asks in a demanding tone.

“Uh… well…” Chloe stammers, trying to come up with some sort of excuse.

I hear footsteps approach the closet and the door is yanked open to reveal Victoria Chase. When her eyes fall on me, they widen with shock, “Is that Caulfield?”

Chloe scratches her head awkwardly, “Sort of.”

Victoria narrows her eyes suspiciously at her, “What do you mean sort of?”

Chloe seems to be weighing up her options, then rubs her neck, “Well, she’s kind of a zombie now.”

Victoria shakes her head, looking at me curiously, “I suppose there is a good explanation as to why she is in the house.”

“She’s changing, they all are,” Chloe explains.

Victoria’s jaw drops a fraction and her eyebrows raise as she understands the implications of Chloe’s words. She peers inside the closet, squinting to see me through the darkness, “Hey, Lamefield, is that you in there.”

“Y-yes,” I affirm.

Victoria sighs, rubbing her temples, “It’s a good thing David isn’t around,” she closes her eyes momentarily, then sighs and motions towards the stairs, “Let’s go upstairs and try to figure out this mess.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed this new chapter. The next few will be a bit more action filled I think. See you then. Have a good day.


	9. Long Live The Queen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chloe, Max and Victoria have some time to chat and they come up with an interesting experiment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello one and all. This chapter is the longest one so far, I think and is mildly NSFW.  
> Enjoy

**Chapter Nine: Long Live the Queen**

“Are you coming or not? I haven’t got all day,” Victoria calls back to Chloe and I from halfway up the stairs. I step out of the closet, my feet hitting against the spilled box’s contents and follow Chloe up the stairs. If I still had to breathe, I know I would have been huffing and panting by the time I reached the top. I was so unfit in life.

My eyes roam over the run down hallway. Unlike Chloe’s old house, this place is bare and lifeless, a home to no-one… at least that’s what I think until I enter Chloe’s bedroom. If I thought her old room was chaotic, it is nothing compared to this one.

The cracked sky blue ceiling is adorned with small fairy lights and graffiti covers every square inch of spare space. Each of the four walls is a different color. The red wall is covered in old photos, trinkets and pieces of paper, while the white wall contains paintings and drawings, some of which I recognize.

Chloe smirks approvingly at the acquired paintings, “I think we can safely say that my thief skills have improved since trying to break into Blackwell.”

Victoria rolls her eyes, “Oh come on, Price, there wasn’t anyone there when we took them.”

Chloe pouts disapprovingly at her dismissal, “Shut up, Icky Vicky.”

“I seem to recall your clumsy ass nearly destroying the Mona Lisa,” Victoria remarks, equal parts annoyed and amused.

Chloe waves away Victoria’s statement, “Well, I didn’t so it doesn’t matter.”

“Yes, but you nearly did it. If I hadn’t been there, the world would have lost a priceless…” she stops mid-sentence as her eyes fall on the painting “wait, hold on a minute…” Victoria strides over with purpose towards the painting, a horrified expression crossing her face as she turns back to Chloe,” Have you defaced the Mona Lisa?”

Chloe looks down at her boots, avoiding Victoria’s accusatory gaze, “Define… defaced.”

Victoria jabs a finger towards the painting, “Chloe, you have drawn a moustache on it.”

“No, I haven’t,” Chloe grins innocently.

The stern faced blonde places a hand on her hip, narrowing her eyes skeptically, “Really, you expect me to believe you?”

“Yes I do. I didn’t draw a moustache on it…” a mischievously glint flickers through her eyes, “I _painted_ it on. There’s a difference.”

Victoria rolls her eyes, “You are so unbearable sometimes.”

Chloe sticks her tongue out, “I think it gives it character.”

“Says Price the art critic,” Victoria scoffs.

“Oh wait, I have something to add,” Chloe carefully takes out several pieces of paper from her bag and pins them to the wall with care, “They are the old doodles we did.”

I walk over to the wall, my fingertips gently tracing the worn pieces of paper now stuck to it, “Y-you kept them?”

“Of course. Why wouldn’t I?” she looks down at her feet, “They were the only things I had left of you.”

“W-when did you-?”

Chloe shoves her hands in her pockets, “That’s why I wanted to go back to my house. I got the drawings we did and some old photos of us. I’ve wanted to go and get them for a while, but I’ve never had the chance. David wouldn’t let me go anywhere. He’s so hella fucking paranoid,” she brushes her hand against the drawings, a small smile forming on her face, “I missed having them with me.”

I see some other drawings that are hidden underneath our childhood memories. I move them aside, “W-what are t-these?”

Chloe offers me a sheepish grin, “Uh… they are just some tattoo designs I came up with.”

Victoria walks up behind us, “Just remember Price, you are supposed to be designing one for me. It had better be good.”

“I haven’t forgotten,” Chloe reassures her. I study them carefully. One of them is of a deer in a forest and the other is of a blue butterfly. It almost looks alive. The black wall contains a photo of Chloe with a blonde haired man, “That’s my dad, if you remember, my real dad,” she turns to the empty yellow wall, looking a bit embarrassed, “That’s my… uh… hope wall.”

“W-what goes there?”

Chloe shrugs, “Stuff from the future, I guess.”

“L-like what?” I ask curiously.

Her expression becomes distant as she stares at the blank wall, “We will see when we get there. Hopefully something happy. I could really do with that.”

I shuffle closer to her, slipping my hand into hers reassuringly and she squeezes back.

“Can’t you two get a room already?” Victoria grumbles.

“We are already in a room,” Chloe wryly remarks.

Victoria sighs, rubbing at her temples, “Preferably one without me in it. I don’t really want to see you guys getting busy. Are you that desperate that you will hook up with a zombie, Price?”

Chloe sticks her tongue out, “At least I’m getting some.”

 “At least I’m not desperate,” Victoria sneers, “Anyway, I have more important things to discuss.”

We all move to sit on Chloe’s bed and Victoria gives me a mildly curious look, “So Lamefield, how did this happen?”

“D-don’t remember.”

Victoria rolls her eyes, “Well I’m glad to see you are still a pathetic excuse for a lame hipster even in death,” she looks quizzical for a minute, “Can you even have sex anyway? Not that you did before I’m sure. I can’t imagine its easy being a zombie.”

Chloe narrows her eyes in Victoria’s direction in mock annoyance, “Fuck you, Victoria.”

“No thanks,” she crosses her arms over her chest with a mildly disapproving frown, “I have standards.”

Chloe launches herself at Victoria and starts mercilessly tickling her, “You just can’t help but be an uber-bitch can you? In the name of the moon I shall punish you.”

She tries frantically to escape Chloe’s clutches, but fails miserably, “Don’t fucking quote anime at me, nerd.”

It’s strange to see Chloe and Victoria get along, sort of.

“Does the Queen abdicate?” Chloe teases.

“Never,” Victoria breathlessly mumbles as she tries to wriggle free, “You’ll have to drag me off my throne kicking and screaming.”

“That can be arranged,” Chloe grins as she intensifies her assault.

After a few moments, Victoria reluctantly concedes, “Look, I retract the question. Just stop.”

Chloe relents, but not before ruffling Victoria’s short blonde hair. This action earns her an icy glare as Victoria fixes the damage, “You had better not have ruined my cashmere with your filthy peasant hands.”

“Won’t her majesty be amused?” Chloe chuckles.

“No, she won’t,” Victoria sighs, before turning to me, “Speaking of clothes, I’m glad to see Lamefield is looking as hipster as usual. Keeping up your aesthetic even in death. That’s some dedication.”

“No,” Chloe grins impishly, her blue eyes twinkling with mischief, “That’s some **dead** ication.”

Victoria narrows her eyes at her disapprovingly, before turning back to me. Chloe grabs her from behind, “Don’t turn your back on me, Scar.”

Victoria tries to shoo her away, “Uh, get off me Price. I’ll catch your stupidity.”

“You forgot my poverty too.”

“That was a given,” she rolls her eyes, but it’s not in anger. I can tell she enjoys this from the smile tugging at the corner of her lips. Once she has managed to escape Chloe’s vice-like grip, she focuses her attentions back on me, “If you would only let me give you a make-over. I can’t work miracles, but you would look so much more fashionable.”

Chloe’s eyes widen in sudden realization, “Victoria, you are brilliant.”

Victoria scoffs, as if this is the most commonly known fact in the world, “Of course I am…” her brow furrows in mild confusion at Chloe’s reasoning, “why?”

“We can fix Max up,” Chloe clarifies, giving me an excited grin, “Make her look human again. Then we don’t have to be stuck in this place forever.”

Victoria considers it, scrutinizing me with an almost clinical gaze, “Well, it will be a challenge, but a Chase never turn down a challenge.”

“W-wait…” I stutter, not sure if this is really something I want to be doing. I’ve never been really fashion conscious, so the thought of Victoria ‘working her magic’ on me is daunting to say the least.

“You don’t get a say in this, Lamefield,” Victoria interjects before she moves closer and whispers in my ear, “Besides, don’t you want to look nice for Chloe?”

I glance over subtly at Chloe, knowing that Victoria has found my weakness… Damn her.

“F-fine…” I murmur reluctantly.

Chloe claps excited and beams at me, “Hella yes, Max. This will be fun. Just like at Halloween,” she pauses for a moment, her expression thoughtful, “It’s kind of the opposite of Halloween, isn’t it? We are de-zombifying you.”

Victoria strides over to a drawer and rummages around, “I have some make up here. I’ve been collecting it for a while. Let’s get to work,” she glances back over her shoulder, “First you need to shower. I am not putting my prized brushes anywhere near your face until it’s clean. It’s the second door on the right.”

As she continues gathering everything together, I slowly shuffle out of the room. I make my way down the hallway, fighting the urge to run away from all this. I want Chloe to see me looking human again, I think it’s something we both need.

I sigh, feeling like I’ve signed my soul away to the devil. I hope Victoria is actually serious about this and not doing it as a prank. It’s not like she could make me look any worse though. Besides, I think after everything that has happened she wouldn’t do that. We managed to make amends of a sort before I died and she only teases in a friendly way now.

I find the right room and push on the door, entering the bathroom. I flick on the switch, a dim artificial light casting over the small room, and head on over to the sink with a mirror fixed on the wall above it. First things first before you forget Max, clean your teeth. Victoria will not be happy with you if she has to smell your zombie breath. She’ll probably exile you from her Queendom, never to return.

The mirror shows me my reflection. I don’t I have looked in one since I turned… and I now see why. Wowser, I look terrible with bloodshot eyes and scar covered gray skin… maybe it _is_ a good idea to get a make-over.

I turn my attention to the shower sat in the far right hand corner. It’s been such a long time since I’ve had one. Personal hygiene is low on the zombie’s priorities list, but all the blood and dirt caked to my skin is not pleasant. I clumsily jab the button to start the water, but nothing happens.

“You need to flip the switch for the shower,” Victoria calls down the hallway.

Of course, it can’t be easy. Where is it? Just as I am about to have a look for the switch, the light goes out abruptly. Can I not catch a break today? I begin fumbling around for the switch on the wall, letting out a quiet cry of victory as I finally find it. I flick it on, but the room remains dark. It turns out to be the switch for the shower.

One down, one to go. I fumble around for the light switch, shocked when my hand moves quicker than I had anticipated. As the light flickers on, I try to move my hand, but am restricted by something. I look over to see another hand placed over mine with chipped blue nail varnish, “I thought you might need a hand,” I turn around slightly and see Chloe smiling at me shyly, “I just… you don’t seem… it’s going to be hard to…” she stutters, her sentence trailing off when she can’t seem to find the right words.

I grab Chloe’s hand and kiss it, slowly leading her over to the shower, “Are y-you going in l-like that? I think y-you’re supposed to t-take your clothes off.”

“Well…” her eyes light up as she takes hold of my worn gray hoodie, slowly undoing the zip, “Isn’t it more fun like this?”

I smile as best I can, shrugging of the hoodie with her help, “N-not all of your ideas are bad.”

“Hey, I resent that remark,” she lightly protests before placing a kiss on the nape of my neck.

The moment the hoodie has hit the floor, I shuffle around and press my lips against hers briefly. Her arms snake around my waist, pulling me closer to her, “You cleaned your teeth,” she observes amusedly, “Were you anticipating this?”

I lean in once again and kiss her tenderly, “Just d-didn’t want Victoria to k-kick me out… or worse.”

She chuckles heartily, “She probably would have if you hadn’t.”

Our foreheads touch briefly before Chloe goes to remove my top. Just as she is about to pull up I place a hand over hers, stopping her. Her brow furrows in confusion and mild concern, “What? What’s wrong?”

“No fair, P-Price,” I grin, placing a kiss on the tip of her nose, “It’s my t-turn.”

Her lip quirks up into a small smirk, “I guess that’s fair.”

I reach up and take a hold of her black jacket, willing my fingers to follow my instruction in this crucial moment. Surprisingly, they seem to respond much more readily than usual. Once her jacket is off, I lean forward again and recapture her lips.

This is so surreal. I never thought Chloe would be doing this when I was alive, let alone when I was dead. I am so glad I opted to clean my teeth first. Zombie breath can be a real turn-off to some people. Don’t ask me why, some people are just weird like that.

She deepens the kiss, sliding her tongue over my lower lip. I allow it entrance as she tugs at the hem of my shirt. I break apart from her briefly, allowing her to remove it and I return the favor. For the first time in ages I can feel everything, like all my senses have been rebooted. The feeling of Chloe’s exposed skin against mine is almost unbearable.

Without breaking contact, Chloe pops the button on my jeans, an action I copy for her with significantly more difficulty. We wriggle out of them, our struggle broken by small gentle kisses. Chloe appears to be growing impatient now as she places my hands on her back, urging me to remove her bra, which I try to do with some difficulty I might add.

Zombie fingers is a condition us dead all suffer. We find it so hard to do menial tasks, such as picking up or undoing anything. Such is life… well, death. Chloe sees I am having difficulty and helps me, then helping me out of my bra as well. She gently kisses my neck as she pulls down my underwear, and I do hers. My pewter gray eyes roam over her porcelain skin… God, she is so beautiful.

I stand there, staring in awe for a while, which causes her to smirk amusedly as she approaches me and leans in so her warm breath tickles my ear, “Like what you see, Caulfield?” I nod, words failing me as her smirk widens, “Well, I like what I see too.”

She grabs my hand and leads me into the shower, taking one of the many shower gels from the shelf fixed to the wall. She squeezes some of the liquid into her hand, lathering them up ready, the smell of citrus permeating the air. She turns me around, so close now, and begins rubbing the soapy substance leisurely along my arms. She moves on to my shoulders and then my back, taking care to get every single inch of scarred skin. She turns me again, working her way down from my shoulders to my breasts. She takes extra time here, eliciting a very slight moan from me.

Her eyebrow quirks up as a smug smirk forms on her face, “Are we sensitive there?”

An impatient knock comes from the door, “Lamefield, what the fuck is taking you so long? It doesn’t take that long to take a shower. Hurry up, I haven’t got all day.”

“S-sorry. Be out soon,” I call back, hoping that she won’t notice.

“You’d better be,” she threatens mildly as she begins to walk away from the door.

Chloe playfully flicks one of my nipples and I don’t manage to cover my mouth in time. It must be because my senses have just come back online, everything is so sensitive. I’m sure this was Chloe’s intent anyway. She does love trouble and fucking with Victoria seems to be a favorite past time of hers.

“Are you ok in there?” Victoria asks with a hint of concern.

“Y-yes,” I respond, almost too quickly.

“Ok, if you say so. Just hurry up. Don’t use all the water.”

“Looks like our shower date may end a bit quicker than I anticipated,” Chloe whispers.

She moves further down, working her way from my feet upwards and offering me a smirk, “It’s so wet down here.”

I clear my throat, “I-it’s from the sh-shower water.”

“Uh-huh. Right. If you say so,” she chuckles, a mischievous glint flickering in her eyes as she grabs onto my ass tightly, making my yelp.

I can hear the footsteps return, “Seriously, what the fuck are you doing in there? God help me, if you don’t hurry up, I’ll bash the door down and come in there. I really don’t want to do that. I have no intention of seeing your boney ass.”

“Just be…” Chloe squeezes harder, obviously enjoying toying with both Victoria and myself. I bite down on my lip to prevent any noise escaping from my mouth, “…two minutes.”

I hear her sigh from outside, “Fine, two minutes. No more.”

As the footsteps finally leave, I playfully clip her head, “Ow, there was no need for that,” she shakes her head and beams at me, “I think we are about done here. You look better already.”

Chloe is such a tease. As she goes to walk out I return the favor from earlier, I tap her ass lightly, “Now, now, down Max,” she giggles, “Icky Vicky is outside. As much as I would love to continue, neither of us want to be on the receiving end of her wrath. I didn’t realize you were so proactive.”

“Didn’t s-stop you.”

She contemplates this for a moment, then shrugs, “Well, thanks for the morning grope. Its hella appreciated.”

She grabs a towel from the shelf and towels me down. I take another and dry Chloe off, taking extra care to focus on her breasts. Payback time.

“Max,” she says sternly, “Don’t start something you can’t finish,” she winks, “There will be plenty of time for that later.”

Chloe grabs her clothes from the floor and hastily re-dresses. I feel around for my own clothing and go to pull them back on when Chloe stops me, “Let me. It will be much quicker, if your bra removing skills are anything to go by.”

I must admit that she has a point. I don’t think I’ve actually removed my clothes since death and I would no doubt have a huge issue with it. A few moments later, we are ready to go.

“Max, you go first. I’ll follow in a minute,” Chloe whispers, placing one last tender kiss on my cheek before I exit the bathroom.

I stumble down the hallway and re-enter Chloe’s bedroom to find Victoria laying on the bed, idly flicking through a magazine. When she hears the door creak open, she glances up, “Finally. Now we can get started,” she stands up and guides me over to the bed ready for my make-over,” Where’s Price?”

I merely shrug in response.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, that was interesting to write. This is something that doesn’t happen in the Warm Bodies book, but I saw an opportunity to add it. I know how thirsty the fandom is, almost as thirsty as alt-Victoria, if that’s possible. I don’t think it is.  
> I really love writing interactions between Chloe and Victoria. I imagine they have a love-hate relationship. It’s a shame they don’t really have any screen time together in the game.  
> Have a great day guys and see you next time.


	10. My Confession

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With Max's make-over complete, she can finally go and have a look around.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We have reached double digits on the chapters, so exciting. This chapter contains hella major spoilers for episode 4.  
> Enjoy

**Chapter Ten: My Confession**

“Stop squirming, Lamefield. You’re making this way harder than it has to be,” Victoria sighs as she got to work on get me ready for my not-so-adoring public.

“S-sorry,” I mutter as I shuffle awkwardly on the bed. I am so not used to this and I don’t think I ever could.

As Victoria applies a healthy amount of foundation to my pale skin, “This is a bigger task than I had anticipated.”

“G-giving up?” I remark only half-jokingly.

“Not on your life…” she casually comments, then her expression becomes troubled and full of regret, “uh I mean.”

“It’s ok. N-no harm done,” I wave away her worries, “Chloe has s-said worse. **dead** icated, r-remember.”

Victoria shakes her head as she works, “Doesn’t she have some sort of filter for her mouth?”

“N-not in my e-experience.”

“That’s a shame,” Victoria is really concentrating hard. At least it appears she is taking it seriously. She reaches to her make-up pile and inspects each item thoroughly until she finds the perfect color, “I’m nearly done now. Where is Chloe?”

I’m wondering the same thing. She has been gone for a while now and I’m starting to worry.

Victoria tilts my head up, “It was really strange. After you left, she declared that she had some stuff to do and ran out. Are you sure you haven’t seen her?” I shrug, which causes her to narrow her eyes suspiciously, “I have a sneaky suspicion there is something you’re not telling me.”

“Me? W-why would I hide a-anything from you?” I stammer more than usual, hoping that Victoria will drop this.

She looks at me sternly, “My bullshit detector never fails. You can trust me. I know after everything that happened it might not seem like it, but you can.”

I contemplate this for a few moments and then sigh, “Ok, but d-don’t tell Chloe. She would k-kill me… again.”

She mimics closing a zip over her lips, “My lips are sealed. I can keep secrets.”

“Ok, we kind of h-had a moment,” I tentatively confess.

Her eyebrow raises in mild curiosity, “A moment? Do elaborate.”

“When I went to shower, Chloe m-must have followed me,” I begin, my mind racing with the memory.

“I can see where this is going. At least that answers my question from earlier,” her brow furrows suddenly, “Wait, hold on. I was right outside, and you were…” a light blush creeps onto her cheeks.

“No-not like t-that,” I backtrack.

“Then what _was_ it like?” she asks curiously. Victoria is almost as nosy as me when it comes to gossip.

“She just w-washed me,” I clarify, thankful that I can’t blush right now.

Victoria frowns skeptical at me, “That’s it?”

“M-more or less.”

She scans my eyes. Obviously deciding I am telling the truth, she stops her analysing stare, “Well, that was unexpected.”

I exhale deeply, “Y-you’re telling me.”

Victoria goes quiet for a while as she puts the finishing touches to my makeover. I sit there patiently as I feel the faint sensation of the various brushes on my pale skin, “She really likes you, you know,” I must have looked confused because she continues, “I can tell. The way she looks at you. The way her whole body relaxes when you’re around. The way she gets nervous and start stuttering when she speaks. I guess this just confirms it.”

A mischievous voice calls out to us from behind, “Hey guys, what’s going on?”

I glance over to see Chloe leaning against the doorframe with a curious glint in her eyes.

Victoria turns back and gives her a look of mild accusation, “Where exactly have you been?”

Chloe smirks coyly in response, “Wouldn’t you like to know?”

“I probably wouldn’t,” Victoria mutters as she turns back to me with a subtle wink.

Chloe strides over to us, “How’s everything going with the make-over?”

“It’s done,” Victoria confidently announces, placing the brush in her hand back down in the small bag she keeps her stash of makeup in.

“Well, that was good timing,” Chloe observes as she approaches the bed. I get up and stand in front of her, not knowing what I look like right now. If my heart was working, I’m sure it would be beating at about a million miles an hour. In fact, I think I can feel the ghost of a beat in my chest.

Chloe’s jaw drops as her eyes fall on me, seemingly gobsmacked at my transformation, “Max, you look-”

Victoria seems very proud of herself, a triumphant smirk tugging at the corner of her lip, “Hot right. Admit it, I did an amazing job. Even I might give Lamefield a chance now.”

“Pfft, you wish,” Chloe scoffs not once taking her eyes off me.

“I don’t need you cast offs, thanks,” Victoria huffs, dismissively waving away Chloe’s comment.

Chloe turns to her and sticks her tongue out, “You’re just jealous I always get the girl.”

“As if,” Victoria protests, signalling towards the door, “Come on losers, let’s get this show on the road.”

Without another word, she storms out of the bedroom. Chloe takes a step towards me, getting a better look at Victoria’s handiwork, “You clean up good, Caulfield.”

“Th-thanks, you’re not so b-bad looking yourself.”

Chloe’s lip quirks upwards into an almost shy smile, her cheeks turning very slightly pink as she holds out her hand for me, “Let’s go meet our adoring public.”

I take her hand and we begin to make our way down the stairs to the outside.

* * *

The streets of the compound are bustling with crowds making their way to various locations. A large line snakes around the paths, seemingly for some sort of food rations collection. A little way ahead is a small group of military types training up some kids who can’t be much older than ten, if not younger. It’s a saddening sight watching them learn how to fire a gun as we pass.

I didn’t expect there to be so many people, especially considering that Arcadia Bay was basically a ghost town before the apocalypse. It’s incredible to see how tenacious humanity can be. No matter what adversity they face, they always manage to pull through somehow. Even the fact that there are reanimated corpses walking around is testament to that.

In the distance, I see the lighthouse looming over everything. My question is, is it a beacon of safety… or false security?

Chloe grabs onto my arm and pulls me violently to the left, “I could really do with a drink, come on.”

Victoria rolls her eyes, “I am not babysitting you again if you drink too much, Price.”

Chloe drags me into the makeshift bar with Victoria following close behind us. The building the bar is situated in looks like it’s a second away from falling apart, with cracked windows and plants creeping into the small holes in the walls which push the bricks further apart. A makeshift counter made up of old crates and planks of wood stands in the far right hand corner, a lanky teen standing behind it with a bored expression on his face.

Victoria motions for me to sit down with her at a free table as Chloe walks up to the bar, leaning against it casually as she orders, “Three grapefruits.”

The guy hands three chipped mismatched glasses over to Chloe and she winks at us before heading off into the bathroom, “I’ll be right back.”

“W-what is she d-doing?” I ask as she waltzes away from us.

“If you haven’t already figured out, this is a juice bar,” Victoria points out, “They don’t let us drink alcohol. I can see why. A lot of people would probably drink themselves into the ground. There isn’t really much hope at this point for the human race. Sometimes though, it would be nice,” she idly comments, “Whenever we go out on salvage, we pick up any alcohol we find. The spoils of war. Now is a good time to give our drinks a little kick,” Victoria inspects her nails, “I’m glad Chloe’s seems to be moving on with her life. She was stuck in a shitty place for a long time. Rachel sure as hell didn’t help. She really fucked up.”

* * *

_“Rachel… whatever the fuck. Oh look Max Amber.”_

_“Is that your Rachel Amber Halloween costume?”_

* * *

“You do remind me a bit of her,” Victoria remarks, propping her hand on her chin, “Not in every aspect. You have the same… sparkle she had, before she got into all the shit anyway.”

I can’t hold onto this secret any longer, “I d-did it. I killed her… ate her brain.”

Victoria sighs deeply, running her fingers through her short blonde hair, “I figured that is what happened.”

I look on in shock as she says this, “W-what?”

“I saw you grab her,” she clarifies.

I bite my lip nervously, “D-does Chloe know?”

Victoria shrugs as she leans back in her chair, “I don’t think so, but I think she would forgive you.”

My brow furrows in confusion, “Why?”

“The same reason I forgive you,” Victoria leans her chin on her hand, “It was the zombie curse or whatever it is, not you. You risked your life to save Arcadia Bay, fuck you died trying to save everyone. You didn’t do a bad job. You’ve saved Chloe more times than I can count. She knows you wouldn’t do anything to hurt her. This was just unfortunate. To be honest, it might have been for the best.”

I raise my eyebrows as she continues, “Rachel was really affected by what happened. What that sick fuck did to her, tried to do to her… it messed her up big time. You may have saved her, but she still had to endure everything leading up to that and then the whole tornado thing happened. Rachel never had a chance to properly recover from that. So much death and destruction. She used to cry all night. I don’t think she could ever have recovered from what happened. She just sort of gave up by the end of it.”

Victoria gently taps her fingers on the table, “On top of that, she felt like shit for putting Chloe through all that as well. She hated herself for it and felt like she deserved what happened to her in a way… no-one deserves that. That is no life to lead. I saw her face when you had her. She didn’t look angry or frustrated, she looked relieved that she didn’t have to think anymore. She could just be at peace,” she looks me directly in the eyes, “Don’t blame yourself, I know you, Caulfield. Just live to make Chloe happy, happier than she’s ever been in her life.”

“I… I will,” I promise.

She offers me a soft smile, “Good,” her expression becomes one of mild annoyance as she glances over to the bathroom, “What is taking that girl so long?”

“Voila,” Chloe slams the drinks on the table, almost smashing the glass.

“You took your sweet time,” Victoria sighs as she reaches over for one of the glasses filled with a pale liquid.

I must admit, I am kind of curious about it. Chloe must have seen me because she motions towards the glasses in the middle of the small rickety wooden table, “Come on Max, don’t be shy.”

I grasp the glass, tightening my grip on it and bring it to my lips, draining the content. As it runs down my throat it burns, causing me to cough and splutter, “W-wowser.”

Chloe pats me on the back as she stifles laughter, “Woah Super Max, take it easy.”

“Someone can’t handle their booze,” Victoria comments with mild amusement, “It’s probably a good thing you weren’t a member of the Vortex Club.”

I suddenly feel a pressure in my lower regions and realize I need to pee. I excuse myself and walk as human-like as I possibly can to the bathroom. It has been such a long time since I have had this feeling. What is happening to me? Am I really changing? Once I’ve finished, I walk out of the stall and stagger towards the sink. I look at myself in the mirror attached to the wall above the basin. Do I look any different? Maybe my skin is less gray, it’s hard to tell with the make-up. Are my eyes less bloodshot?

I exit the room, narrowly avoiding falling over as the room spins. I am such a lightweight.

“I think someone has had too much to drink,” Chloe chuckles as I wobble back over, “Maybe we should go.”

“Y-you go on ahead. Need some air.”

Chloe shrugs, “Alright, we’ll go back to the house. See you there.”

Her and Victoria leave the bar, leaving me alone to my thoughts. I walk outside the bar down the narrow street to clear my head, the night air cooling my skin. It’s so good to be able to feel things again.

My ears pick up on a faint shuffling noise and I quickly dash into the shadows to hide.

A figure comes into view and I squint to get a better look. When I realize who it is, rage surges through my body. I am blinded by it. Unable to control myself I lunge at the figure as they pass, smashing their head against the pavement. It’s not hard enough to kill the figure, but they groan loudly in pain from the impact.

“What the fuck?” the figure questions, completely disoriented.

“F-found you,” I growl lowly.

“Who is-?”

“R-remember me, f-fucker,” I interject.

Before the figure can say anything further, my fist collides with their abdomen. Their howl of pain echoes around the empty streets, “W-why?” they cough as blood trickles down their chin.

I stand over the figure with a twisted grimace, “Because, dear Mark, I can.”

His eyes widen in shock and terror, “Max? You’re supposed to be-” his words are cut off as I kick him as hard as I can in the stomach, savoring the connection. He grits his teeth and his face crumples up from the pain. He looks up at me with a pleading look, “Max… please… you don’t have to do this.”

* * *

_“Please… you don’t have to do this.”_

* * *

My foot once again connects with his ribs, a bone crunching crack piercing the air along with a pained cry, “Didn’t s-stop you. Rachel. Kate. Me. Others. No amount of p-punishment will ever be enough for w-what you did, what you w-would have done.”

I bite down on his throat, my teeth sinking into his skin which causes him to scream in agony. It will never even be anywhere near measurable to the pain he has caused.

I hear footsteps behind me and immediately dart into the shadows, “Sir… sir are you…? oh shit.”

Gunfire rings through the air, signalling Mark Jefferson is no more. I simply sprint as fast as I can away from this place. After running for what feels like an eternity I finally reach Chloe’s house and burst through the door.

Chloe comes out from one of the downstairs rooms to investigate the noise. On seeing me, she smiles warmly, “Hey, Max what took you so…” she pauses, her eyes widening as she takes in my appearance, “Is that blood? What happened?”

* * *

_A sharp pain in my neck._

_There is no point in kicking and screaming anymore. No-one can hear me anyway. I simply curl up into a ball and give up. The door opens and I shut my eyes tight because of the blinding light. I am dragged, I don’t resist anymore. I used to try to hurt my captor, but it just ended up with me getting hit._

_“I’m glad you are so compliant today.”_

* * *

_I kick and scream. No-one can hear me, but that doesn’t stop me. After a while, I curl up into a ball. I can’t give up. The door opens and I shut my eyes tight because of the blinding light. I am dragged, I resist. I try to hurt my captor, but it just ends up with me getting hit._

_“You will be compliant.”_

* * *

_“Smile for the camera…”_

* * *

For the first time since my death, I cry. A few tears fall from my pewter gray eyes, a feeling I haven’t experienced in such a long time. I had almost forgotten what it felt like. I clumsily swipe at my eyes as I stand there unmoving.

Chloe freezes as she watches me, “Max,” I feel her arms wrap around me as she pulls me in close and I bury my head into her shoulder, “Do you want to tell me what happened?”

“Saw h-him,” I mumble as she holds me.

“Who?”

I lift my head to look at her, seeing the concern in her blue eyes, “Jefferson.”

Chloe’s face drains of all it color, “What?”

“He was i-in street,” I elaborate.

Her expression becomes horrified, “What happened?”

“I… I beat him up. I would have k-killed him. First, I w-wanted to make him s-suffer. I was stopped. He turned and was s-shot, but-” my sentence hangs in the air unfinished as Chloe hugs me tighter.

“Max, thank you,” she whispers, sounding as if she is on the verge of tears. No doubt Rachel would have told her about Jefferson. That bastard is better off dead for everyone’s sake.

I am tempted to just leave it like this, but I have to tell her what happened to Rachel. I can’t keep going with this hanging over my head and it’s not fair to Chloe either, “Have a-another c-confession.”

I grab her by the hand and lead her out of the house and down the winding side streets. She doesn’t resist, simply allowing me to pull her along. After a few minutes, I finally find the street I am looking for. We continue on about halfway down to a small run down house.

I glance over to Chloe to gauge her reaction to being at Rachel’s old house again. Her expression is stoic as we stop in front of the splintered door, “Max… why the fuck are we here?” her voice quivers as she speaks.

I don’t reply, simply squeezing her hand as I push on the door. I step over the threshold, dragging her inside. It seems that nothing has been touched since Rachel’s death. Has Chloe even been in here since?

I lead her up the stairs to Rachel’s room, the wood creaking under our combined weight. Once we reach the first door on the right, our pace slows down to a stop. I look over at Chloe and notice the tears threatening to fall from her eyes. She looks like she is about to run away, but she doesn’t. I hate to have to put her through this, but there is a reason for doing this.

Rachel’s room is surprisingly cozy and well decorated. Old pictures line the crumbling walls and various trinkets from both her old and new life are carefully placed around the room. Her bed is unmade, with several fluffy blankets crumpled up at the end of it. A couple of dog eared comic books sit on the small chest of drawers near the bed.

I head on over to it, opening one of the top drawers on the right. In the drawer are random pieces of paper and other curious items. I rummage around, gently pushing the items in the drawer until I find what I am looking for, an unassuming folded up piece of paper. It is a letter from Rachel Amber.

I take it with quivering fingers and hold it out for Chloe. In so many twisted ways I feel this letter is mine, like I am offering my own heart on a bloody platter. I prepare for her claws to rip it apart. Her fingers tremble as she unfolds the paper and begins to read.

* * *

_Chloe,_

_If you have found this letter, it probably means I am gone. If not, put it back. You are so nosy. I’m serious, young lady!_

_I know we’ve had it rough with everything that has happened, mostly due to my stupid mistakes… fine all to do with my stupid mistakes. I was an asshole, no excuses. I kept pushing you away and you didn’t deserve that at all._

_You deserve someone who will hold you close and never let go. They will whisper in your ear that you are their world and that each time they see you, their world is illuminated. I would have been that person… but I was scared, so scared about giving my heart to anyone because I knew that if I did, when everything turned to shit I wouldn’t be able to go on. So I lied to myself, lied to the world… lied to you. It was easier to lock everything away than having to face the cold harsh reality that I could… lose you one day. I realize now all too late that it was a stupid, stupid thing to do._

_There was also another reason. Deep down, I think you know why I never accepted your feelings. You are really slow in working out anything to do with love, but I could tell. Every time you mentioned a certain person, your eyes would light up and you would smile so beautifully. Don’t make me spell it out for you. You love Max, you always have and you always will. Don’t even try to deny it. I know when you’re lying. You may have loved me too, at least I hope you did, but your soulmate is Max. I know that much and I haven’t even met her. I couldn’t let you lie to yourself._

_What we had was real, but I could tell that another had your heart. I’m not trying to guilt trip you. I entered this relationship knowing full well that you loved another. I didn’t mind. I got to spend some of the best times of my life with you. Every second with you was well spent, whether we were laughing, fighting or hurting. I would never take back that time, no matter what I was offered, even the bad times. If I could only relive every rough patch we ever had, I would do it in a heartbeat just to see you again._

_I got caught up in some serious shit. This isn’t an excuse, I just want you to know that it wasn’t your fault, it was mine. I dealt with everything so poorly and because of it I lost the one person I truly loved. No prizes for guessing who._

_You have to move on with your life. If you have, then well done. You’ve levelled up and can move onto the next paragraph. If not, you can’t keep living in the past. I’m not saying forget everything, I’m saying learn from it, make yourself a better person and most importantly be happy. Have someone in your life who can give you the things I never could… and never would be able to._

_(If Max is with you, please hand this over to her now.)_

_You had better be treating her right or I will haunt you forever. That isn’t a threat, that’s a promise. I mean it. If you don’t, I will come back from wherever I am and beat you to a pulp. I am not even joking._

_(Please hand it back to Chloe now.)_

_If Max is not with you, she will come back Chloe, I know it. She would move heaven and hell for you. She **will** find a way to be by your side forever._

_Just enjoy life, smile lots, you have the most beautiful smile so don’t deny the world of seeing it, and most importantly just be you, because you are the most amazing person who ever lived without a doubt. You are everything to me._

_You always had my heart, I just never wanted to admit it. I love you, forever and always._

_Rachel x_

_P.S. if you are crying right now, I know I am, there are some tissues in the second drawer._

_P.P.S. there are some pictures hidden in the top drawer, there is a false bottom. These are my most treasured possessions, they are yours now if you want them._

_P.P.P.S. you might want to move your porn stash. I found it in like three minutes of meeting you. Kidding :p_

_See you around._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, that was intense. Aren’t I cruel for leaving it there? I really hope we get something like this in the game, even if we never actually meet Rachel, it would be nice just to see what she was thinking. I can dream. Thank you for the continued support. See you next time.


	11. Goodbye

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Max, Chloe and Victoria have to try to convince David that the Dead are changing. Will they succeed?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome back. Everything is coming into place now. Will Chloe, Max and Victoria manage to convince David that the zombies are changing? Have we seen the last of Rachel?  
> Enjoy

**Chapter Eleven: Goodbye**

Chloe rubs her finger in smooth circles over the paper and closes her eyes before placing the letter back in the drawer. When she opens her blue eyes again, she gives me an almost indecipherable look. I feel so vulnerable, as if she could crush me with a single word. She wipes away the tears that fall from her eyes and then she embraces me tightly.

My hands hang limply at my side as I mumble, “I’m sorry.”

“I forgive you,” she whispers.

I raise my hand and touch her face, wiping away a stray tear, “Th-thank you.”

That is all there is to say. We have been through so much already and said everything we could possibly say. Uttering another word would be redundant. We walk out of Rachel’s room, down the rickety wooden stairs and out into the world, all the while hand in hand.

Rachel’s voice reverberates in my mind, _“Thank you.”_

Oh, how I wish this was the end. If I could write a letter, make peace with the world and be done with it, to just sleep for eternity I would. Not all of us have that liberty. Not when there are things yet to be done. You can’t sleep yet.

We make our way back to Chloe’s house in complete silence, passing so many people as we walk. Some seem completely haggard, almost to the verge of falling flat on their face and passing out, while others have still just about managed to keep a smile on their face, simply happy to be alive. Her grip never loosens on my hand, not once. I glance over to try and gauge what she is thinking. The tears have all but dried up now and there is an almost serene expression on her face, like she has finally found some scrap of peace to cling onto.

Once we reach Chloe’s house, she pushes on the door and gently pulls me through off of the street. She takes a deep breath and offers me a sad smile. I was half expecting to see anger in her eyes, but all I see is a mixture melancholy and… relief.

“Chloe…” I begin to say, but am cut off by an insistent high pitched alarm, followed by a single word echoing from the speakers in the streets, **BREACH.**

“What the…?” she freezes, her eyes show fear as she meets my gaze, “Shit. You need to hide, now.”

We race up the stairs and burst into Chloe’s room to find Victoria laying on the bed with her magazine. She glances up at us with mild relief, “Oh finally you decide to come back. What’s going on?”

“There is a breach,” Chloe blurts out, her eyes darting around the room to search for somewhere to hide me.

Victoria sits there with a dumbfounded expression on her face, “What?”

“Max found Mr. Jefferson and was in the process of killing him, but she was disrupted. He turned into a corpse and they shot him, but they know it takes a zombie to make a zombie. They are going to come looking,” Chloe’s brow furrows in concern, “What are we-?”

**RING. RING. RING.**

Her head swivels over to the battered phone attached to the wall near her bed. There are a multitude of labelled lights, all of which are off except one labelled **OUTSIDE** , which dimly flashes orange.

“Is that the phone? Who even uses those anymore?” Victoria asks with curiosity.

Chloe shrugs, looking at the phone as if it is an active bomb on the verge of exploding, “I don’t know, but we should find out.”

She goes over to it and picks up the receiver, “Hello?” she listens intently to the other end of the line, “Ok, I’ll pass you over,” she glances over to me and hands the phone my way, “It’s for you. It’s Kate, I think. It’s a bit hard to differentiate.”

I take the phone from her and place it to my ear, “Kate?”

Her familiar voice seeps through the phone, “Max, we are h-here, well most of us. S-still waiting on a few. What now?”

I bite my lip, “Need to convince D-David we mean no harm. Not going to b-be easy. Hold back. Don’t want you getting hurt.”

“Max, I want to h-help,” she protests.

I think over my options, then nod, “Ok, gather everyone, bring to stadium. Keep them safe.”

“G-got it,” she confirms.

“Be ready for anything. C-could turn bad,” I warn her, not wanting them to go into this blind.

There is a slight pause and I think she has gone, but then she speaks again, “Be safe out th-there, Max.”

I feel a slight smile tug at my lips, “You too Kate. See you s-soon,” with that, I hang up and turn to Victoria and Chloe, “Kate is g-gathering others. Ready for w-whatever happens.”

Victoria nods, “Right, so all we need to do is-”

**EMERGENCY CODE 3674**

She looks over to us, her eyes widening slightly in worry, “That doesn’t sound good.”

**ALL CITIZENS MUST ASSEMBLE IMMEDIATELY AT THE DESIGNATED ZONE. I REPEAT, ALL CITIZENS MUST ASSEMBLE IMMEDIATELY AT THE DESIGNATED ZONE. THERE HAS BEEN A BREACH. IT HAS BEEN CONTAINED BUT THERE IS THE POTENTIAL OF FURTHER HOSTILES IN THE VICINITY. DOOR-TO-DOOR SEARCHES WILL COMMENCE AS OF NOW.**

We exchange brief glances, each of us looking as terrified as the others.

“We need to go, now,” Chloe announces as a loud impatient knock rings through the silence. We all freeze momentarily as the click of a lock can be heard from downstairs, “Shit, it’s too late. Quick Victoria, get the make-up back on,” she shoves us into the bathroom with the makeup bag just in the nick of time.

Footsteps echo from the hallway as Chloe’s muffled voice rings through the air, obviously trying to keep him distracted, “Hello David.”

David’s stern gruff voice carries through the door, “Chloe, why aren’t you out with the others?”

“I was just going. What is happening?” she asks, feigning ignorance with ease.

“There has been a breach, you need to get outside with the others, now,” he barks.

At this point, an ear-splitting crash penetrates the air. I wince as I have once again managed to knock something over when trying to hide. I glance down to see Victoria’s shower gel collection strewn over the tiled floor. She glares at me and I’m not sure if it’s because we have been found out or if it’s because I have knocked over one of her prized collections. Maybe both. Will I ever get a break from my clumsiness?

“What was that?” David questions suspiciously.

“I don’t know.”

Heavy footsteps come over to the bathroom door, which I can only assume belong to David. Just when I think we are done for, I hear Chloe call out to him, “Wait… Victoria’s in there.”

He stops just shy of the door, “Why didn’t you say that before?”

“She’s _in_ there, with someone else. They are… you know…”

I shake my head at her excuse. Couldn’t you have come up with a better lie, Chloe? David isn’t going to respect someone’s private time.

There is a knock on the door, “Victoria, now is not the time for, whatever you are doing. There is a breach,” Victoria rolls her eyes in brief disgust before straddles me against the sink and burying my face in her cleavage just as David opens the door, averting his steely eyes, “Get out here immediately.”

We both shuffle out, Victoria doing a pretty good job of looking embarrassed as she straightens herself out. I step out unashamedly, trying to look as human as I possibly can.

I can feel David’s eyes on me as I exit the bathroom, “And who is this?”

“This is Max,” Chloe clarifies.

David turns sharply to her, “I didn’t ask you Chloe,” he jabs a thumb in my direction, “I asked her.”

I swallow hard as his stare pins me to the spot, rendering me speechless, “Uh… um…”

He narrows his eyes at me skeptically as I stutter and stumble over my words. Without warning, he slams me against the wall, an almost guttural growl coming from him.

“David!” Chloe exclaims, a look of worry passing over her face.

“You’re a corpse, aren’t you? Well?” he demands an answer from me.

I can’t speak. I try, but all I manage is an unintelligible groan. David moves with almost inhumane speed to the knife holder strapped to his belt and draws the military blade, stabbing me in the shoulder. He pulls it out, the blade coming out clean. Corpses don’t bleed.

Enraged, David steps back from me and pulls out his gun, levelling it right between my eyes, “Chloe, did you bring a corpse into my city? Into my home? Did you let them touch you?”

Chloe takes a step forward, desperate to diffuse the situation, “David, they are changing…”

He shakes his head, never once taking his eyes off of me, “The Dead don’t change. They are no longer human.”

“How do you know that?” Chloe scoffs, “Just because they can’t communicate with us doesn’t mean they deserve to die. What if they have thoughts and feelings like us?”

David’s jaw tenses as his grip on the gun tightens, “That’s impossible. We’ve tested it thoroughly. They have never shown any compassion. Only a desire to kill.”

She crosses her arms, “Just like a certain someone I know.”

He grits his teeth, “Now is not the time, Chloe.”

She scowls at him, “Now is the perfect time. Max is different, and there are more like her.”

“No,” he steadies the gun, pointing it at my face and refusing to listen to her pleas.

Panic enters Chloe’s eyes as she realizes the situation is slowly getting out of control, “David, listen to me for fucking once. Something was triggered in them, they are changing, coming back to life. Why can’t you see that?”

His grip briefly relaxes as he glances over at her, his gun still trained on me,

“No, why can’t you see the obvious? You’re living in a dream world. People die, they turn, they bite people, they turn… the cycle never ends,” he turns back to me, his expression one of stone as her stares at me with such a burning hatred, “The only way to end it is to shoot them in the head. There is no hope anymore. There is **no cure**.”

Chloe throws her hands in the air in frustration, “Who made those rules? Who says we can’t fucking do anything about it?”

He sighs, his face softening a fraction and an almost sympathetic glint flickers in his eyes at her hope, “You don’t understand. You never will. Sometimes, you just have to end it. There is no way of salvaging it. I gave up that hope a long time ago.”

Chloe takes another step forward, frantically trying to get him to back down, “You don’t _have_ to give up.”

He looks as if he is about to falter, but then his expression hardens and points the gun right between my eyes, “I’m sorry, Chloe. This is for your own good.”

I do the only thing I can in this situation, I close my eyes and wait for the end. I feel a brief sense of relief knowing what is to come… the sweet release of death. This state of limbo between life and death is not something I would wish on anyone. I’m sorry, Chloe…

Surprisingly, the end doesn’t come. I hear the click of a gun and open my eyes a fraction to see David frozen where he’s stood with Victoria behind him, her own gun pressed into his neck, “Not so fast.”

“You wouldn’t shoot me,” David confidently states, trying to call her bluff.

She simply pushes the gun further into his neck in response, “Just try me,” once she is certain David won’t try to escape, she turns back to us, “Go. Now. Tell everyone. Get to the speaker system. It’s the only way.”

Without further hesitation, I grab onto Chloe’s hand and we run as if our lives depend on it. In a way, it kind of does. We race down the streets, darting into dark alleyways as armed soldiers rush past us. After what seems like an eternity, we finally make it to the speaker system room suspended overlooking the water reservoir. We locate the ladder and start to climb as quickly as possible. This is the first time I think I have climbed a ladder since death and it’s not the easiest thing I have ever done by far. Thankfully my fingers follow my will for once and before long we reach the top.

“Couldn’t you h-have come up with a better lie?” I ask as we start searching around for the switch we need to operate the speakers.

“Sorry I panicked,” she lightly pants as she makes her way over to the large metal console with a vast array of different buttons and switched, “I’d like to have seen you do better,” her brow furrows at the console, “What the hell do we press?”

A commanding voice echoes behind us and there is the gentle click of a gun cocking, “Miss Price, step away from the corpse.”

We turn back to see several soldiers with their guns aimed directly at me. We both slowly back up together. Chloe leans over slightly and whispers in my ear, “I guess this is it, huh. It’s so fucking unfair.”

I look around, desperately searching for a way for us to get out of this mess. Out of the corner of my eye, I can see the slight indentation of an emergency exit door positioned over the water reservoir and a thought crosses my mind, “N-not quite,” I mumble under my breath as we slowly back up, “D-do you trust me?”

One of the guards, who seems to be the leader of this little group, steadies his aim, “Miss Price, I will tell you one more time. Step away from the corpse. If you do not comply willingly, we shall have to deploy force.”

Chloe exhales and takes hold of my hand, squeezing it tightly as she breathes, “Yes. I hella trust you, Max.”

I carefully guide her over to the door, praying that it will open easily. When my back hits it, I wrap my arms around her and hold onto her tightly. There is no hint of fear in her eyes, she trusts me implicitly. I lean up to kiss her, our lips touching for the briefest of moments before I press my back against the door. The door gives way and we fall through it, plummeting towards the water reservoir at an alarming pace. The soldiers peer down at us from the top of the tower, seeming to shout out orders. I tighten my grip on her, ensuring that she will not come to harm while I can still move.

We hit the water with a loud splash and my world turns dark as my body sinks to the depths…

* * *

An almost ghostly whisper wakes me from my slumber, “Hello, Max.”

I open my eyes, finding that I am no longer in the water. There is no light, my surroundings cast into complete darkness. I sit up slowly, trying to shake the sudden haziness from my mind. I look around to find out where the voice is coming from and see a girl with long blonde hair and hazel eyes stood just a couple of feet away from me.

“Rachel?” I call out into the darkness as I stand up, completely disoriented and confused.

She offers me a warm smile, “Hey. You’re nearly there, Max. Don’t give up now. You are so close.”

My brow furrows, “Am I?”

“Yes,” she takes a step closer to me, now standing directly in front of me, “Are you scared?”

I am terrified right now. I have no clue what the future will hold… or if I even have one, “Yes.”

She nods sympathetically, “I thought so. I know you can do this. After everything that you have faced, this will be easy. David is not unreasonable. He just wants to protect Chloe. You can get through to him.”

I don’t understand what I have done to inspire such faith from her, “How are you confident in me?”

She chuckles lightly, “Max, I have been in your head so I’ve seen what makes you tick. That’s why I’m sure. Why else would I entrust Chloe to you?” she tilts her head slightly and smirks at me, “There is some pretty weird shit going on in the deep dark depths of your head.”

“What?”

She shrugs, “I got bored. What did you think I was doing when I wasn’t talking to you? I do exist when you aren’t interacting with me. I relived some of your memories and dreams. Seemed only fair as you had relived mine,” she winks and raises an eyebrow suggestively at me, “Don’t worry, your secrets are safe with me,” her expression becomes more serious at this point, “I think I’ll be leaving now. I’ve overstayed my welcome. I’ve fought my demons, now I’ll leave you to fight yours.”

She turns to return into the darkness. Something compels me to shout out to her, to stop her from leaving just yet, “Wait…”

She pauses, glancing back over her shoulder at me, “What?”

I take a deep breath, “Thank you.”

Rachel’s hazel eyes widen in shock and her eyebrows shoot upwards, “For what?”

“For looking after Chloe when I couldn’t,” I clarify, “I was an asshole for not keeping in touch. Without you, I don’t even want to think about what would have happened to her.”

She tucks a stray strand of her blonde hair behind her ear to reveal a bright blue feather earring dangling down from her left ear, “I didn’t really do anything. It’s you who I need to thank. You set me free and avenged me,” her face softens considerably as she continues, “You protected the person I love most in this world and you will continue to do so. I just know it,” her lip quirks up into a melancholic smile, “Goodbye Max. It was nice to finally meet you. It’s a shame it couldn’t have been when we were both alive, but beggars can’t be choosers. I’ll see around.”

“Will I ever see you again?” I ask, not really knowing how to feel about her completely leaving my life. I have kind of gotten used to her being around by now.

She idly plays with a strand of her hair before shrugging, “Maybe,” with this cryptic answer she finally disappears into the darkness, leaving me completely alone once more.

“Goodbye, Rachel.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We are drawing ever nearer to our final confrontation. Will David be persuaded? We shall find out in the next chapter. Have a great day and I’ll see you soon.


	12. I'm Alive

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Can Chloe and Max survive?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, here is the last chapter of this story.  
> Enjoy

**Chapter Twelve: I’m Alive**

“…ax. Max. Where are you?” a familiar voice breaks through the darkness as a hand pulls me up from the water over to the side of the reservoir. Once I reach the surface, my eyes open to see Chloe’s concerned eyes looking back at me. When she sees I am finally awake, she pulls me into a hug, “Oh Max, I thought…” her voice breaks, “I thought I had lost you.”

She shakes as she holds me, her hands gripping onto me for dear life. I feel my arms wrap around her, returning the hug, “I’m here.”

She breaks away, gazing deeply into my eyes. Water droplets trickle down her cheeks and her hair is slicked back, “I was so worried, Max,” she whispers, placing her forehead against mine.

I stare into those expressive blue eyes of hers. Who is this girl? She is everything to me. Without her, my life… or death, has no meaning.

Her breath is warm against my skin as she whispers, “Max…”

I reach out to her, tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear before placing my hand on her cheek. I trap her body against the wall of the reservoir with my body and gently press my lips against hers. She wraps her arms around my neck, pulling me as close to her as possible as our lips collide. The kiss starts out almost shyly at first, but this soon disappears as the seconds pass. I slide my tongue into her mouth, deepening the kiss. Our tongues dance, exploring one another as our saliva mingles together. Chloe gently pulls at my lip, sending shivers down my spine. I can’t get enough of her.

I feel… different. The beast inside me urges me to devour her, but I clamp down on it. I will not let it take over, not ever again. As we kiss my body begins to tingle, but it doesn’t deter me. After a few moments, we reluctantly break apart. As I stare into Chloe’s eyes, her irises shimmer and change from sky blue to pewter gray just like mine, but then flicker to gold. It is a bit like before when we kissed, but much stronger now.

Chloe looks as confused as I feel, “Max, your eyes…”

I can only assume she is witnessing the same thing I am, “Yours too.”

Just as I am about to lean in again, a loud gunshot rings out into the silence and a piercing pain enters my right shoulder, causing me to wince and reflexively reach up. It’s been a long time since I’ve felt pain. Normally any wound we obtain are superficial, often we don’t even realize until a fellow corpse points it out for us. I always seem to have so many more than any of the others due to my clumsy nature.

An almost guttural roar erupts from behind us and I turn back to see David stood there.

“What the fuck are you doing, David?” Chloe angrily questions.

When he sees the change in her once blue eyes, his face clouds with rage and he aims his gun with shaking hands directly at me, “Chloe, step away from the corpse, now.”

She moves in front of me protectively, “No, David. They are changing…”

He sighs with exasperation, his entire body tensing up, “We have been over this. They cannot change. They will _not_ take anything else away from me.”

Chloe gives him an almost pitying look as she guards me, “You don’t understand.”

His eyes turn steely and his teeth grit, looking as if he is about to explode from the buildup of rage as he growls, “No, it’s you who doesn’t understand…”

Suddenly, a new voice enters the fray, “David, what in God’s name are you doing?” everyone turns to the voice to see an older woman with a kind face, her blonde hair clipped back, “Why are you pointing the goddamn gun at Chloe? Wait, is that… Max?”

I recognize the woman as Joyce Price, Chloe’s mom. My memories come flowing back to me as if someone has suddenly turned on a tap. While they are not infallible, I can mostly piece together the strands. Joyce is like a second mom to me, especially when I was a kid. I always used to spend time at the Price house. That was when William was still alive, Chloe’s biological father. He died in a car crash when she was fourteen and it devastated her. It was around that time that I left Arcadia for Seattle and didn’t keep in contact with her for the next five years. I returned to Arcadia to attend Blackwell Academy and met up with Chloe again under… strange circumstances to say the least. I saved her from getting shot by Nathan Prescott and obtained rewind powers. We spent the whole week trying to find Rachel among other things, and by a twist of fate managed to save her, but then the storm hit and I have no recollection of my time after that. That must have been when I died.

“I go away for five minutes just to get our food rations and I come back to this,” Joyce sighs as she approaches us.

“Max is infected, Joyce,” David growls lowly, “she needs to be put down, now.”

Joyce gives him a disapproving look, “What the hell are you talking about? Put that gun down, right now.”

While this is all going on Chloe glances back over to me, her eyes widening when she sees my shoulder, “Max, you’re…” I inhale sharply as she presses her hand against my wound, her fingers coming away bloody, “bleeding.”

There is a tense silence as all eyes turn to face me. She stares down at her hand and then at the thick red liquid oozing from the bullet hole, her face cycling through so many different emotions before finally settling on realization, “Corpses don’t bleed.”

David’s eyes fall on the blood now spiraling from my shoulder into the water as Chloe turns to him, “Look, David. Corpses don’t bleed,” she turns back to me with tears in her eyes as she presses another tender kiss on my lips, then rests her forehead against mine and laughs with relief at this normally worrying sight. From an outsider’s perspective, this little scene would seem so bizarre.

He falters, then puts his gun away. Joyce grabs it before he has a chance to change his mind and then rushes over to help us out of the water, “Are you two ok?”

Chloe places her arm around my shoulder to help me walk and quickly kisses my cheek, “I’m fine.”

“Me too,” I mutter through gritted teeth, “In pain, but alive.”

It is so surreal to hear the word alive once again used to describe my state. I had gotten so used to being a reanimated corpse that it seemed like a distant dream to hope for more.

Chloe narrows her eyes as David strides over to us, “Max, I… I’m sorry. I just… wanted to protect Chloe and it seems that I failed,” his face drops slightly at this thought, “Thank you for taking care of her.”

I shake my head at him, “You didn’t fail.”

I swear I can see the ghost of a smile tug at the corner of his lips. This soon vanishes when he turns to Chloe with a somber expression, “Chloe… I’m sorry. I know I am not the easiest person in the world to get on with.”

She scoffs, “That’s an understatement.”

He rubs his face with his hand, trying to search for the right words, “I do care about you, whether you believe it or not. I yell at you because I know you can do better. I got into all sorts of trouble when I was your age, I don’t want you to make the same mistakes.”

Chloe seems to be considering a few things before she sighs, “I guess I’m sorry for putting you through so much shit.”

They regard each other with confliction, before they exchange the briefest of smiles. This is the most civil I have ever seen them.

He turns his attention to me once more, “Let’s get you to the medical bay, Max.”

I lean on Chloe as we make our way over to one of the medical tents down the main street. As we walk, I am slowly starting to notice other parts of my body aching. My throat feels incredibly dry and my stomach grumbles quietly. Blood trickles from a few of the fresher wounds I have acquired. While these new sensations are uncomfortable, it proves to me that I am alive… really alive.

David side eyes me, “You’re still bleeding aren’t you, Max?”

“Yes, Sir,” I confirm.

“Good,” Chloe gives him a harsh stare, causing him to backtrack, “Sorry, you know what I meant.”

“I do,” I agree as I hobble down the street like a wounded soldier returning home from the war. In a way, I guess that’s exactly what I am.

* * *

**A couple of weeks later…**

Victoria walks down the middle of two lines, one of the Dead and the other of the Living. The very fact that this bizarre situation is possible is almost beyond belief. If you had told anyone three weeks ago that the Dead would cure themselves and the Living would be accepting them back into society, they would have been laughed at… yet here they all were.

“Ok everyone, this is going to be a bit awkward at first,” Victoria shouts loud enough for everyone to hear her, “As you all know, the Dead have started to cure themselves. This is more than we could have ever hoped for. Now all that remains is for them to be re-integrated into society. No-one is going to get hurt here. We all need to communicate with each other,” she turns round to see the eyes of everyone present on her, “Ok everyone, begin.”

Victoria strides down the lines, watching as the Dead stumble towards the Living and the Living cautiously approach the Dead to initiate first contact. Halfway down the line, she spots someone she recognizes. A girl with blonde hair tied up into a bun and a golden cross hanging down from her neck.

As the girl’s kind hazel eyes fall on her brown ones she grins, “H-hi Victoria.”

Victoria’s feet carry her until she stands directly in front of Kate Marsh, “Hey, Kate.”

Flashbacks from before the tornado enter Victoria’s mind. Kate on the roof, ready to leave the world all because of her endless tormenting. If only she could go back… if only she could…

She feels a hand on her arm and glances down to see that it belongs to Kate. Her skin is still carries a tinge gray, but it is not quite as pale as before and the scars are starting to heal, “D-don’t look so w-worried,” Kate smiles and the world seems to get a little brighter at its presence.

“I am so sorry, Kate,” Victoria mumbles, stopped when Kate shakes her head.

“N-not your fault. Besides, Max saved me,” she stutters.

“It is my fault. If I hadn’t-” her words are cut off when Kate hugs her unexpectedly. Before she could really register what was happening, Victoria feels her own arms wrap around Kate, returning the hug.

“Y-you’re forgiven,” Kate whispers as she pulls away and motions with her head towards the main street, “W-want to get out of here.”

Victoria smiles. It is not her usual smug condescending smirk. For the first time in a long time, her smile is genuine, “I’d like that.”

* * *

**Three Months Later**

“Max.”

The voice calling out to me causes my eyes to open, “Hmm…”

I turn my head to meet Chloe’s eyes. We are laying on an old red checked blanket as we stare up at the blue summer sky. She shuffles closer to me, her breath tickling my ear as she whispers, “I love you.”

I lean over and tenderly kiss her cheek, “I love you too, Chloe Price.”

She smirks amusedly at me, “I should hella hope so,” she reaches out and finds my hand, intertwining our fingers and giving it a gentle squeeze, “How long do you think it will take to get everything back to the way it was?”

I rest my head on her shoulder, “It won’t.”

Her brow furrows in slight confusion, “What do you mean?”

I bring her hand to my lips and place a kiss on the back of it, “It will never go back to the way things were, it will be better than that.”

She playfully nudges my shoulder, “Look at the beat poet here.”

I shrug, “I’d rather be a good photographer.”

She shakes her head as if I’ve just said the most ridiculous thing in the world, “You are. You just need to believe in yourself.”

I smile at her warmly, “I do, because of you.”

She shuffles closer to me if that’s actually possible, her heat mingling with my own, “If you could, would you go back and have your old life?”

I shake my head without hesitation, “No, I want this one. I want the life where you are here with me. Before I was such a coward. I would’ve never had the guts to tell you how much you mean to me. I didn’t even admit it to myself. I kept finding excuses,” I kiss her briefly on the lips before continuing, “Death has given me a new perspective of life. I now know that I can’t wait around forever for something. Life is too short to wait around. I have to grab what I love and never let go.”

Chloe chuckles heartily at that, “Nerd.”

She kisses my cheek, leaving herself open for my attack. I see an opening and maneuver myself so I am straddling her. Once she is sufficiently trapped, I start to tickle her.

“Hey… no… no fair,” she stutters in between laughter. Her laugh is a sound I want to hear for the rest of my life. In my moment of distraction, Chloe manages to flip me over and pin my arms on either side of my body, “Ha, who is the vulnerable one now?” she grins at me triumphantly.

I can’t help but smile at her childish display, “Ok, you win. I surrender.”

Chloe reaches down and takes a strand of my mid-length brown hair, twirling it around her finger as she smirks at me tauntingly, “What’s my prize? For winning I mean.”

As I lay on my back, I gaze deeply into her mischievous eyes… eyes I have come to adore, “I guess that’s up to you.”

She offers me an impish grin before leaning in inches from my face. Her proximity and husky tone sends shivers down my spine, “Well, I can think of a few things.”

I look up at the girl I couldn’t envision ever living without and smile, “I can’t wait to find out what you have in mind.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That is it for the main story, but I shall be continuing this as a few spin off series. Keep an eye out for those.   
> Thank you for reading and I hope to see you in another story.


End file.
